5 most popular Nigerian players at World Cup including crowd pleaser and two-time EPL winner 

These are players who played for Nigeria at the FIFA World Cup between 1994 and 2018 that fans in Nigeria and all over the world would naturally love for their performances at the tournaments and what they have been doing after retirement.
 

1.  Austin Okocha

So good they named him twice. Austin 'Jay Jay' Okocha played in three FIFA World Cups for Nigeria.

A crowd pleaser, the mercurial midfielder featured in the 1994,1998 and 2002 finals but arguably his best of the three was at the 1998 tournament in France.

The Eagles advanced to the round of 16 after defeating Bulgaria and Spain before losing to Paraguay in the group stage.

They were eliminated in the knockout stages after suffering a 4-1 humiliation in the hands of Denmark.

Okocha was the outstanding player in an otherwise disappointing outing especially in that 4-1 debacle.

Prior to the game, words from the camp indicated that the players were having a face off with the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation over their camp and match bonuses leading to most of the players staying awake until about 4am on matchday.

Okocha owns several businesses and a television pundit these days. 

2. Rashidi Yekini
 

Rashidi Yekini of blessed memory scored Nigeria's first ever World Cup goal and celebrated it with one of the most memorable images of all time.

Yekini's predatory instinct in front of goal and his legendary status makes him undroppable from this list.

3. Nwankwo Kanu

Many football faithful could be forgiven for wondering why a young but supremely talented Nwankwo Kanu was not part of the USA 94 squad despite his huge qualities.

Kanu had won the FIFA U-17 World Cup a year earlier in Japan with Nigeria's Golden Eaglets where he was adjudged the second best player behind Ghana's Daniel Addo, then of Bayer Leverkusen.

Kanu was however in the Eagles squad in the 1998, 2002 and 2010 squads. In between then, he won the African Footballer of The Year award for the second time.

A two-time Premier League winner with Arsenal, Kanu totalled six appearances for Nigeria at the World Cup. 

4. Taribo West

West cried bitterly in a blood-soaked Super Eagles jersey when the Nigerian side lost heavily to Denmark.

West battled and laboured to save the team of the goals they conceded but he can possibly do it alone in the defensive areas.

The defender is now a clergy. He became a Pastor after an encounter he had with God.

West admitted that he was on the road to destruction but his life changed for the nest when he became a born-again Christian.

5. Sunday Oliseh

Oliseh's long range goal against Spain at the France 98 World Cup will remain one of the best goals from that distance in the history of the tournament.

Spain at the time was one of the best sides in the world at the time and was on an unbeaten run before that 3-2 defeat to Nigeria.

Oliseh has become a coach and also does TV punditry when he can.

The onetime Borussia Dortmund star gave Everton forward Alex Iwobi his Super Eagles debut for Nigeria while in charge of the Super Eagles in October 2015 against DR Congo. 

That is one good achievement that fans of Iwobi will forever remember Oliseh fondly for.

Izuchukwu Michael

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