Oliseh names Nigeria’s first true superstar — His choice may surprise you

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Former Super Eagles midfielder, Sunday Oliseh, has praised the late Nigerian football icon, Stephen Keshi, as the country’s first authentic superstar.

Oliseh also highlighted Keshi’s leadership qualities, professionalism and lasting influence both on and off the pitch.

The late former coach enjoyed an outstanding playing career, featuring for clubs in Nigeria such as ACB and New Nigerian Bank, as well as international sides including Stade d’Abidjan, Africa Sports, Lokeren, Anderlecht and Strasbourg, among others.

Keshi became the first Nigerian footballer to appear in a major UEFA club competition final, playing the full match as Sampdoria, led by Gianluca Vialli, defeated Anderlecht 2–0 in the 1990 European Cup Winners’ Cup.

At international level, he featured in the Africa Cup of Nations finals in 1984 and 1988, and was part of the victorious 1994 Super Eagles squad, although he did not play in the final.

Oliseh stressed that Keshi’s abilities were never in doubt, noting that his performances spoke for themselves and elevated him to legendary status.

“He led by example. If they said everyone had to wear a green shirt, he would wear a green shirt. He was disciplined, and that was the kind of person he was; he was a winner,” Oliseh remarked on the Global Football Insights

“He was a man who made it clear to everyone that he had a family to support and wanted to earn money, and if you were not participating, I would lose money. That was how Keshi operated.

“We never questioned his quality as a player because you could see how he performed. This man was the first superstar of Nigerian football.

“At one point, even when Nigeria participated in the Nations Cup, Keshi would fly in from Belgium to the AFCON, play, and then return to his club after the match.

“That was how significant his personality was, and Nigeria was supporting it; otherwise, you wouldn’t have your best player participating.

“We all saw that as kids watching television so we knew that this was a superstar and his teammates accepted it,” he said.

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