Legendary Super Eagles midfielder Austin Jay-Jay Okocha has expressed confidence that the 1996 Olympic gold-winning team would crush the current crop of Nigerian players if the two sides ever met, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Dream Team of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics is widely regarded as one of the greatest squads Nigeria has ever produced.
To this day, fans hold that era in the highest esteem, as the roster featured iconic stars such as Okocha himself, Sunday Oliseh, Daniel Amokachi, Victor Ikpeba, and Nwankwo Kanu.
During their historic run in the United States, the team saw off football powerhouses, including Brazil and Argentina, to secure Africa’s first Olympic gold medal in football.
In fact, their performance in the semifinal of the competition against the Selecao remains engraved in the hearts of Nigerian fans.
In a recent interview, Okocha was asked to compare that legendary side with the current national team.
For context, the current Super Eagles side has some very good players like Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman who recently won the CAF Player of the Year. There are also other decent players like Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, Samuel Chukwueze, and Ola Aina.
However, Okocha did not mince words, as he stated that the current set of players would stand little chance against the 1996 squad if both were at the peak of their powers.
“They (current Super Eagles) stand no chance. It’s the number of goals that they will concede we should be talking about,” Okocha said.
“These are small boys. We are talking about Yekini, Oliseh, Nwankwo Kanu, Taribo West I don’t even want to talk about myself. These boys are learners.”
Watch Video of Jay-Jay Okocha Comparing 1996 Olympics Team With Current Super Eagles
Jay-Jay Okocha was asked to choose between the legendary ’94 Super Eagles and the current team, his answer? The ’94 squad would run through them with ease pic.twitter.com/hEZupP0Wr0
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Asides from their feat at the Olympics which only Cameroon have been able to replicate in Africa, the 1996 team achieved a lot.
Some of them were part of the first Nigerian team to play at the FIFA World Cup in 1994. They also won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations.
Meanwhile, the current team has struggled to qualify for the World Cup. They have also failed to win the AFCON. Nonetheless, they will be looking to win the tournament in Morocco this year.