Sunday Oliseh, a former midfielder for the Super Eagles, has hailed Stephen Keshi, the late Nigerian football icon, as the country’s first true superstar.
Additionally, Oliseh praised Keshi’s professionalism, leadership, and enormous influence on and off the field.
Keshi, the late former coach, had an incredible playing career. He played for ACB and New Nigerian Bank in Nigeria and for Stade d’Abidjan, Africa Sports, Lokeren, Anderlecht, and Strasbourg, among other teams.
As Gianluca Vialli’s Sampdori defeated Anderlecht 2-0 in the 1990 European Cup Winners’ Cup, Keshi became the first Nigerian football player to compete in a major UEFA club competition final.
On the international front, he participated in the 1984 and 1988 Africa Cup of Nations finals and, despite not playing in the final, was a member of the winning 1994 Super Eagles squad.
Oliseh underlined that there was never any doubt about Keshi’s ability, emphasizing that his performances were obvious and helped him become a legend.
He set a good example. He would wear a green shirt if they mandated that everyone do so. He was a winner and a disciplined person, Oliseh said on the Global Football Insights.
He was a man who made it plain to everyone that he needed to make money to maintain his family and that he would lose money if you didn’t participate. Keshi did things like that.
“You could see how he performed, so we never doubted his skill as a player. This man was the first Nigerian football superstar.”
Keshi used to go from Belgium to the AFCON, play, and then return to his club following the game, even during Nigeria’s participation in the Nations Cup.
You wouldn’t have your best player playing if Nigeria didn’t back him because of how important his personality was.
“His teammates accepted it, and we all saw that as kids watching television, so we knew this was a superstar,” he remarked.
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