One Step From Glory: Nwabali Walks In Oliseh’s Footsteps

It’s not often that a national team newcomer perfectly fits the mould of the last piece of a puzzle and inspires his team to Nations Cup glory.

That could very well become the lot of Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali if the Super Eagles overcome hosts Côte d’Ivoire in the 2023 Nations Cup Final in Abidjan on Sunday.

Such has been Nwabali’s impact at Afcon 2023 that it is hard to imagine the Super Eagles reaching the final without him. The stardust may belong to African Footballer of the year Victor Osimhen; the key goals may have come from Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman; and the plaudits may have gone the way of the resolute skipper Williams Troost – Ekong. But it is the commanding, cool, calm, and ever smiling presence of the 6ft 5in Nwabali in goal that has helped lay the foundation for the Eagles’ progress so far.
Four clean sheets, 14 saves and only one goal conceded from open play are the numbers that tell the story. The two penalty saves in the semi-final shootout win over South Africa only further cement the legend. It’s been an impressive debut performance for a player who had only played twice for Super Eagles prior to this finals and his arrival, on this evidence, should surely resolve Nigeria’s long standing problem in the goalkeeper position.

Yet, Nwabali, would only be following in the illustrious footsteps left thirty years ago by a Super Eagles legend: Sunday Oliseh.

Like Nwabali in 2024, Oliseh was the new kid on the block in 1994, when Nigeria won the Nations Cup for the second time in Tunisia. He had hardly featured for the Super Eagles when they arrived for Afcon 94.

And like Nwabali in 2024, his inclusion, as a tenacious, ball-playing, holding midfielder, solved a long standing positional problem for the Super Eagles.

His impact in 1994 was just as telling as what we have seen of Nwabali in 2024.

The 20-year old Oliseh proved the missing piece in Clemens Westerhof’s Super Eagles project, protecting the defence and linking play impressively. His influence on the attacking end was even more impactful: of the Eagles’ nine goals in Tunisia, Oliseh assisted four, often with precise, searching passes from deep. Not that anyone took note of assists back then, but three of them helped Rashidi Yekini to the Golden Boot (he scored five), and one provided the winning goal in the final for Emmanuel Amuneke.

Super Eagles’ supporters will be hoping for a similar winning ending in Abidjan – as will Nwabali of course. Nigeria will be counting on him to be at his calm and confident best to see off the host nation and cement his name amongst the legends of Nigerian football. Just as Oliseh did thirty years ago.