Halfway through the 2013 African Cup of Nations, Nigeria was in disarray. After consecutive ties in January, the team faced early elimination. Fans and media, having written off a young and inexperienced squad, wanted manager Stephen Keshi out. After the team beat lowly Ethiopia 2–0 to save face and ensure progress, the national federation remained unconvinced; as the players prepared for a quarterfinal against favoured Ivory Coast, officials were booking the squad’s flight home.
Fast-forward a week, after beating Ivory Coast and then Mali, and Johannesburg’s Soccer City stadium is a frenzy of green and white as Nigeria beats Burkina Faso 1–0 in the final, claiming its first continental crown in nearly 20 years. Supporters blare trumpets and pound drums as captain Joseph Yobo hoists the trophy. The Super Eagles are soaring again, transformed from yesterday’s men to Africa’s great hope for Brazil.
What a long road back it’s been. Nigeria barged onto the international scene in 1994, capturing the African Cup before coming within minutes of a quarterfinal spot at its World Cup debut. Two years after that, the team struck Olympic gold in Atlanta with a come-from-behind win over Argentina. Africa’s most populous country was also its soccer standard-bearer. The team wowed neutrals with adventurous attacking play and swashbuckling confidence, and top European clubs signed stars like Jay-Jay Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu to big-money contracts. In 1998, the Super Eagles arrived in France as World Cup dark horses and topped their group, losing in the round of 16 to Denmark.
Few expected them to fade from the international spotlight, but one disappointment followed another. After a poor ’02 World Cup, the Super Eagles missed the 2006 tournament altogether. Meanwhile, trigger-happy team officials blew through 12 coaches in as many years, and ego clashes in the dressing room sapped morale and unity. And then there was the usual political interference: When Nigeria earned just one point at the World Cup in South Africa in 2010, the country’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, tried to ban the team from international play for two years.
When the team hit rock-bottom, failing to qualify for the 2012 African Cup, Keshi was called in to right the ship for the 2013 tournament. The former Super Eagles defender set about shaping the team on his terms, picking players on form rather than reputation. The local media railed against his dropping foreign-based stars Obafemi Martins and Peter Odemwingie in favour of Nigerian league players like Godfrey Oboabona and Sunday Mba. But the move paid off: Oboabona anchored a back line that allowed just four goals in six games, and Mba scored the stunning tournament-winner. “We used to call these players ‘training materials’ in Nigeria,” says Nigerian soccer journalist Sulaiman Folarin. “But these performances give the local-based [players] confidence going forward.”
But the Super Eagles aren’t all no-namers. The team’s young foreign-based stars performed admirably, with Chelsea teammates John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses, Celtic’s Efe Ambrose and Spartak Moscow’s Emmanuel Emenike all earning spots in the tournament’s Best XI. And with only one outfield player in the squad older than 30—Yobo is 32—Keshi has built a team for the future.
For a few hours, though, Keshi’s own future was uncertain. Still smarting over those premature flight bookings and fed up with a lack of support from the federation, he shocked the nation by resigning 24 hours after claiming the African crown. It took promises of future stability from Nigeria’s sports Minister later that same night for Keshi to decide to stay.
As for getting to Brazil, there’s still work to be done, starting with a qualifier at home against Kenya. Though the Super Eagles top Group F and are on pace to advance, they’ve been shaky, earning only four points in two games with just two goals against minnows Namibia and Malawi.
Still, for the first time in years, optimism abounds: A young and talented team is rising while other continental heavyweights struggle. As the Ivory Coast’s golden generation ages, Egypt remains inconsistent and Cameroon crumbles, the Super Eagles are poised to once again rule Africa.