The Super Eagles have adopted the motto “Let’s Do It Again” as their driving force in the pursuit of a fourth Africa Cup of Nations title set to take place in Cote d’Ivoire early next year, Soccernet.ng reports.
Nigeria are three-time winners of the AFCON, with the Super Eagles lifting the prestigious honour in 1980 (as hosts), 1994 in Tunisia, and 2013 in South Africa.
It has been ten years since the West African giants won their last continental trophy. Still, with a current crop of free-scoring attackers, the Eagles would be among the favourites to be crowned champions in February.
According to a statement by the NFF, the Super Eagles have embraced the theme “Let’s Do It Again” as their rallying cry to give them the psychological edge when hostilities begin in Cote d’Ivoire.
Super Eagles players and coaches are reported to have rallied behind this inspirational phrase, with team captain William Troost-Ekong expressing the team’s sentiment thus,
“We like the phrase because it gives us confidence and the go-go push. We have done it before, so we can do it again. Winning the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire is our goal, and we have the team to do just that.”
Defender Kenneth Omeruo, who was in the 2013 title-winning squad, echoed this optimism, saying,
“I look around, and I see players who have the capacity to make it happen. We are all ambitious. The team is a blend of old and wise heads and exciting new talents. We will go for the trophy in Cote d’Ivoire.”
The Super Eagles are set to continue their preparations when they face Saudi Arabia in a friendly match at the Estadio Municipal de Portimão in Portugal on Friday.
This encounter marks only the second time these teams have met at the senior international level.
Their previous meeting occurred as part of the final preparations for the FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa, in a scoreless friendly on May 25, 2010, at the Alpenstadion in Wattens, Austria, with Nwankwo Kanu captaining the Super Eagles and current head coach Jose Peseiro coaching the Saudi Arabia team.
Three days after the Saudi clash, the Eagles will engage in another friendly match against Mozambique’s Mambas at the same venue on Monday before turning their attention to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Lesotho and Zimbabwe scheduled for November.
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