IKENWA NNABUOGOR wonders if the Super Eagles No 10 shirt should be retired for lack of worthy player to don the highly revered number…
The beautiful game world over accords special respect for the jersey number 10 and expects a worthy player to wear the number on the back of his shirt.
Legends like Pele, late Diego Maradona, Michel Platini, Dutch maestro Ruud Gullit, England superstar striker Gary Lineker and former France playmaker Zinedine Zidane have all made the special number most unforgettable as they thrilled fans during their time.
Interestingly, on the home front, the number 10 jersey has had a fair share of special talents donning it and making their fans celebrate their own just like the world celebrated Pele, Maradona and company.
Late Muda Lawal was worshipped by home fans, who believed the former Abiola Babes playmaker had a magic wand that gave him a demi-god status whilst he lasted on the game until death came knocking in 1991.
While Lawal was on his flip side of his career in the mid-80s, another little battle ship Henry Nwosu had quickly transited from a schoolboy sensation to a full international and grabbed the baton nicely from Lawal.
Nwosu had been Lawal’s protege in the national team and was only waiting for the veteran to hang his boots before he slid into the driver’s seat comfortably to continue keeping the number 10 jersey special.
Both Lawal and Nwosu commanded the Eagles midfield with some confidence so much that the team was built around them.
Excitingly, both were captains at their different times and carried the team on their little shoulders.
Eagles played when these super “number 10” players played as opponents almost conceded defeats sighting these midfield powerhouses on the pitch.
Exit Nwosu, enter Etim Esin, who was nicknamed “Maradona” for his uncanny semblance of the late Argentine midfielder’s style, reputed in some quarters as the world’s greatest ever player.
Esin’s time was shortlived with his country’s national team, but he certainly was the undisputed number one midfielder in Nigeria during his short, but eventful time.
Fresh from the cadet team, Esin took over Eagles number 10 jersey when Nwosu moved over in early 1989.
Esin tormented late Stephen Tataw and the entire Cameroon team when the two rivals met over two legs in the qualifying race to Italia’90 World Cup with the bitter neighbours pipping Eagles to one of Africa’s two slots to the World Cup.
But for the rape case in Belgium that put paid to Esin’s career, the former Lierse midfielder would have tied down Eagles’ number 10 jersey for a very long time.
Esin never recovered from the setback and forcefully quit the scene with his number 10 jersey.
Austin “Jay Jay” Okocha emerged from the ashes of Esin, eclipsing Friday Ekpo, who briefly kept Esin’s number 10 jersey in trust, to grab the shirt from Ekpo to send the former Abiola Babes’ midfielder into forced retirement.
Ekpo’s misery was automatically Okocha’s Eldorado as the former Enugu Rangers fast rising midfielder received both God’s divine call and presidential approval to dance his way to super stardom donning the number 10 jersey.
‘Jay Jay’ was synonymous with the famous Eagles number 10 jersey and boldly put himself in the Hall of Fame of world’s number 10 jersey players.
The history of Nigerian football will not be complete without a worthy mention of “Jay Jay” contributions to the national team and he’s reputed to be his country’s best ever midfielder with an African Nations Cup gold medal and Olympics gold medal hanging round his neck.
He was exceptional on the pitch and added confidence and assurance off it so much that he breathed fresh life into the team time and time again.
There may not be another ‘Jay Jay’!
Mikel Obi appears to be the last of Eagles number 10 who commanded clout, influence and authority, but was nowhere near the flamboyance of those before him.
Mikel was a number 10 with a unique difference – had no time for entertaining the crowd, rather he meant business and wasted no time for nothing but only business.
Mikel was also a great leader of men, commanded respect among his mates and kept things a lot tighter in the midfield.
All these seem to have deserted the present Eagles since Mikel retired in 2019 and Eagles have continued to struggle to keep the pace in the engine room.
Never in recent time have Eagles looked so ordinary in the midfield since Mikel left as opponents seem to run things in the midfield as if they are playing against some minnows struggling on the wrong side of FIFA rankings.
How sad can this be that Eagles’ midfield has looked so bereft of ideas going forward and shielding the back four and just content with struggling to be up to speed with things in the midfield?
Okocha’s nephew Alex Iwobi has been tried in the number 10 role but with limited success.
But it may be another Premier League star Eberechi Eze, who may best be suited for this special jersey.
The only question is – Will he take his chance with Nigeria or England?
