Former Super Eagles captain and coach Sunday Oliseh has delivered a blunt assessment of Nigeria’s current squad, insisting the national team’s struggles stem from a lack of quality players.

Oliseh, who is widely regarded as one of Nigeria's greatest ever midfielders, is known for being completely outspoken, especially on difficult topics.

In a recent interview on the Play Zone with Charles Anazodo, circulating on social media, Oliseh said he is embarrassed that many refuse to acknowledge the real problem with the Super Eagles.

Sunday Oliseh is not happy with the current standard of the Super Eagles. || Image credit: Imago

“The reason why we’re failing makes me embarrassed because people don’t want to talk about it.

"The reason we’re failing is that the players are not good enough. We don’t have good players,” the former Juventus midfielder stated.

He contrasted the present with previous generations, recalling how Nigeria once boasted stars regularly featuring for Europe’s elite clubs, players like Finidi George and himself at Ajax, Taribo West at Inter Milan, and others lighting up the Champions League week in, week out.

Today, he argued, Victor Osimhen is essentially the standout figure, and even though Galatasaray is a big club, it is not among Europe’s top-five leagues.

Wilfred Ndidi in action for Super Eagles || imago

Oliseh’s comments come just a month after Nigeria’s disappointing recent results.

The Super Eagles missed qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, finished third at AFCON 2025, and suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.

Eric Chelle's men have endured a disappointing 2026 and will hope to put things right when they face Tanzania in a crucial double-header in November.