Former Dutch skipper Ruud Gullit has expressed optimism that Nigeria's Super Eagles will be one of the standout teams at the forthcoming World Cup due to take place in Brazil later this year.
Speaking in Nigeria at a Uefa Champions League promotion tour sponsored by Heineken during the week, Gullit said he has been keeping tabs on the Super Eagles since their African Nations Cup triumph last year. He noted that although the present team lacks the individual quality of the golden era of the 1990s, they are still a delight to watch.
Gullit said: "The present Super Eagles may not have the type of individual stars of the golden era but I still enjoy watching them play. I saw the team at the last Nations Cup in South Africa. I saw how brilliant they were."
A Uefa Championship winner with the Netherlands himself, the former AC Milan, Sampdoria and Chelsea said he rated Nigeria Ghana and Ivory Coast as the African teams that would qualify for the second round of the World Cup. He also cited the weather conditions in Brazil as factors that could be favourable to African teams at the World Cup.
"I strongly believe that Ivory Coast, Ghana and Nigeria will certainly go through to the next stage. It will be a good testimony for the African football and even put Nigeria on the global map.
“One advantage that the African teams have in Brazil is that it is going to be warm. European teams have never won the World Cup in South America, so it will be a great opportunity for the African teams to do well because of the circumstances they have to play,” Gullit added.
During the visit, Lagos State's Governor Babatunde Fashola, received the Uefa Champions League trophy from Ruud Gullit. He used the occasion to challenge Nigerian youths to take the opportunities provided by the power of football as it can be used as a tool for growing economies and alleviating poverty
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