Former Super Eagles captain and coach Sunday Oliseh has delivered a blunt assessment of Nigeria’s national team, arguing that the country’s recent struggles are linked to a shortage of top-quality players.
Oliseh made the comments during an interview on Play Zone with Charles Anazodo, where he expressed frustration with what he sees as an unwillingness to confront the real problems affecting the team.
“The reason why we’re failing makes me embarrassed because people don’t want to talk about it,” the former midfielder said.
He added: “The reason we’re failing is that the players are not good enough. We don’t have good players.”
The former Juventus and Ajax midfielder believes the current squad does not match the quality of previous Super Eagles generations, many of whom featured regularly for leading European clubs and competed at the highest level.
His comments come at a difficult period for Nigerian football, following the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, their third-place finish at AFCON 2025 and a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Oliseh pointed to the achievements of former Nigerian internationals to explain why he believes the standard has declined.
During his playing career, he shared the stage with players who established themselves at major European clubs. Finidi George and Oliseh played for Ajax, while Taribo West represented Inter Milan.
Those players competed in demanding domestic leagues and European competitions, helping Nigeria build a reputation as one of Africa’s strongest football nations.
Oliseh believes the current team has fewer players operating at that level. While Nigeria still have footballers playing abroad, he questioned whether enough of them are regular starters at clubs with serious ambitions of winning major honours.
The former captain’s argument is not simply about how many Super Eagles players are based in Europe. Instead, he is challenging the quality, consistency and influence of the players available to the national team.
Oliseh identified Victor Osimhen as one of the most prominent players in the current squad but questioned whether Nigeria possess enough footballers of comparable standing.
Osimhen has established himself as a leading striker and remains an important figure for the Super Eagles. However, Oliseh’s assessment suggests that relying heavily on a small number of standout players is not enough to build a team capable of competing consistently at the highest level.
Nigeria also have players such as Ademola Lookman and Alex Iwobi, who have experience in European football. Yet the former coach believes the overall quality of the squad must be examined rather than focusing only on individual reputations.
His comments are likely to generate debate among Nigerian football supporters, particularly those who believe the country has enough talented players but has struggled to turn that talent into consistent performances.
Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup remains one of the major disappointments of the current cycle.
The Super Eagles’ campaign ended after they lost to DR Congo on penalties in the African play-off final, missing out on a second consecutive World Cup appearance.
The team also finished third at AFCON 2025 after reaching the semi-finals, while the 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in the 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign further increased scrutiny of the squad and its performances.
Those results have raised questions about several areas of Nigerian football, including coaching decisions, player selection, preparation and administration.
Oliseh’s comments place the quality of the players at the centre of that discussion. His position challenges the idea that a change of coach alone would solve the Super Eagles’ problems.
However, his assessment remains an opinion, and the national team’s results reflect several factors beyond individual ability.
With further international fixtures ahead, the Super Eagles will need to improve their performances and rebuild confidence among supporters.
Head coach Eric Chelle faces the challenge of finding the right balance in the squad, improving consistency and ensuring that Nigeria’s attacking and defensive strengths translate into results.
The team also needs to make better use of its available talent, particularly in matches where expectations are high and opponents are difficult to break down.
Oliseh’s remarks have added another voice to the debate over what Nigeria must change to return to the top level of international football.
Whether supporters agree with his assessment or believe the problems lie elsewhere, the former captain has raised an important question: does Nigeria have enough players consistently performing at the highest level to compete with the continent’s strongest teams?
The Super Eagles’ response in their upcoming fixtures will be closely watched as they seek to move beyond recent disappointments and restore confidence in the national team.
