Super Eagles and Rangers defender Leon Balogun has urged the National team to have supreme confidence ahead of their World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe in March.
The Super Eagles are currently facing an uphill battle in Group C of the qualifiers, sitting in fifth place with 3 points from four matches. They trail Rwanda, South Africa, and Benin, who occupy the top three spots, by four points.
However, despite the challenging situation, Leon Balogun remains optimistic about the team’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and USA.
In an interview with Ayodele Olu Ibidapo on his official YouTube channel, Leon Balogun stressed that the players must have unwavering self-belief: “Everybody knows it’s a difficult situation, a lot of people think it’s not really possible but you need to have this supreme confidence if you are playing for the Super Eagles. We are top of Africa, we need to get back to the top, we need to earn that again. We still have the reputation but we just need to back it up with performances.”
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Balogun acknowledged the team’s recent shortcomings but encouraged them to focus on the future: “Recently we fell short but nobody is free from errors. We have six games left so that’s six chances to make it right. So why not go in there with supreme confidence? Look at the names, there’s no team that you have to hide from. We need to focus on ourselves.”
The experienced defender also praised the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for appointing Eric Chelle, giving him sufficient time to assess the team and prepare for the qualifiers: “The NFF has done a great job in getting a new manager just in time so he can scout and assess players and get enough time. I think he’s blessed with a very good foundation with the potential in the squad.”
Balogun drew on his experience with the Super Eagles, recalling their successful qualification for the 2018 World Cup: “I’ve been in the Super Eagles for close to 11 years and we’ve overcome a lot of situations. I’m confident in that group because I remember the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, we had the so called Group of Death and we battered Algeria and Cameroon.
“The toughest game was probably Zambia, and fair play to them, especially in the second leg when Alex Iwobi scored. He made me cry with that goal because I could say I was going to the World Cup,” he added.
Balogun concluded by emphasizing the significance of the fans’ support, citing it as an additional motivation for the players. “Those fixtures are big but one thing that should be an extra motivation for us as players are the supporters not only in the stadium, but also those on the streets.”
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