Nigeria has left an indelible mark on the world of sports with large numbers of their footballing stars making an impact overseas, especially when you look at some of the members of the 1996 Olympic squad. Whilst they have an illustrious history in terms of their own continental competition, it was always considered an upset when they overturned some of the world’s giants to win gold. But why?
Underdogs
Where to begin? Before entering the 1996 Olympics they hadn’t played competitive football since dazzling at the 1994 World Cup. After being suspended by the Commonwealth of Africa Nations (for political reasons) and thus being unable to defend their title, the only competitive match they played before the tournament was the qualifier against Kenya. Despite being drawn against Brazil in both the group and the semi-final stages, they won in extra time to set up a date with Argentina. They would win that match 2-1.
The players
Many of the players in that were either based in Europe or would go on to make big moves off the back of it. Nwankwo Kanu, fresh off a Champions League win with Ajax, would head to Arsenal and would be a mainstay for the next few years, helping to win two league titles and being part of the Invincibles squad. Finidi George would star in the 1998 World Cup before joining Ipswich, whilst Jay-Jay Okocha would move to Paris and show off his bag of tricks in the capital until 2002 when he would link up with Bolton and go on to dazzle Premier League fans for four years.
Why was it such a shock?
Nigeria’s shock win would have been put down as a coupon buster by most bookmakers as the circumstances before they entered the tournament would have made it seem unlikely for them to have gotten out of the group. It would have been akin to Denmark wining Euro 1992 and Leicester winning the 2016 Premier League. Very few if any would have predicted it. As far as sports betting goes, these underdog stories don’t happen all that frequently but can still garner decent odds and thanks to modern technology it is possible to do it all at the touch of a button. This is the same when it comes to online slots as they give you the chance to play wherever you are. At ca.allslotscasino.com you could always have a flutter at half time of any football match you are attending.
Who have they got now?
Nowadays, there might not be as many big name stars but there are some players flying the Nigerian flag. Wilfried Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho are leading the way with Leicester, with the latter being the standout in the Foxes’ run to the FA Cup final, whilst Alex Iwobi is at Everton.
To conclude …
It probably would be safe to say that Nigeria winning the Olympics is one of modern footballs biggest shocks, but that is what sport is all about. Without these stories, then football would be much less interesting and as a result less people would be invested as they wouldn’t really believe their team could win. Whilst a repeat is unlikely, Nigeria could still be a force in African football one day. All they need is patience.