Former Everton Captain Explains Why He Must Coach Super Eagles

The search for the next permanent head coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria has, of course, been a hot topic within the country’s football scene. The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has actively been exploring candidates and so much speculation has gone on about who will take up the prestigious role. A whole host of high-profile names have linked up with the position, but one that has shot into the spotlight in recent times is Joseph Yobo, a former captain of Everton and Nigerian football legend.

Yobo said during an interview recently that he has a burning ambition to lead the Super Eagles-a team he represented with great distinction for over a decade. The 44-year-old, with over 100 caps earned for Nigeria and who captained the team to victory in the 2013 AFCON, is of the opinion that he stands tall among the other aspirants. According to Brila.net, Yobo expressed his passion for why he is the right man for the job and insisted that his experience and deep understanding of Nigerian football make him an asset to the team.

“My life is not dependent on coaching, but if I don’t go back to coaching, I feel Nigeria would have missed something. Anyone close to me knows how much I love the game because I put my heart into it,” Yobo said, while driving the point of his commitment to football and his country. He further said his long playing career and previous experience as an assistant coach with the Super Eagles make him uniquely qualified to lift the national team to higher levels.

Yobo had earlier been appointed in 2022 as an assistant coach for the Super Eagles, through which he was able to contribute his quota toward the team’s development. Since then, he had not returned to elite coaching, which he said he is willing to fill as the head coach of the team. This means that the invaluable leadership and insight he has garnered from a long career at the top-most level, including his spell at Everton in the English Premier League, will be priceless for the Super Eagles’ quest to relive their glory days as African kings.

This desire by Yobo to coach the Super Eagles shows he still has the love for the game and his belief in the potentials of Nigerian football. Yobo has said he was ready and willing to take on the responsibility with a lot of experience, commitment, and connectivity to the team and the nation amid the still lingering attempt by the NFF to find a permanent head coach. Whether the NFF would turn to Yobo in the circumstance remains to be seen, but his candidacy has brought an interesting dimension to the raging debate on who becomes the next president of Nigerian football.