The 36-year-old, who was part of the 2013 AFCON winning team, stated that despite the form of the team, winning the title in Cote d’Ivoire is what the country needs to return to the pinnacle of African football.

By Ayobami Okerinde

Former Super Eagles and Chelsea midfielder, John Mikel Obi has revealed that the Super Eagles of Nigeria are always favourites to win the AFCON.

The 36-year-old, who was part of the 2013 AFCON winning team, stated that despite the form of the team, winning the title in Cote d’Ivoire is what the country needs to return to the pinnacle of African football.

He made this known while speaking with CAFOnline.

His words: “We are always favourites; this is every time we go into the tournament, and it’s no different this time. Everyone knows that we are one of the favourites—not the massive favourite, but definitely one of the favourites.

“To be able to do it again will be a massive achievement for us, which I think the country needs right now as well. We need to get our football back where it should be, and by winning this tournament, it will take it back to where it should be.”

Speaking further, Mikel stated that football has changed from what it was a decade ago when asked if there’s any similarities between the current squad and the one he was part of.

He said, “Football has changed dramatically, and I think this group of players are a good young team and play a different brand of football than we did, so let’s hope we can see a good performance from the Nigerian team.”

Nigeria is a three-time winner of the AFCON in 1980, 1994, and 2013. The team was also runners-up in 1984, 1988, 1990, and 2000.

The Super Eagles have been drawn in Group A against the host hosts, Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau.

Nigeria’s first game at AFCON 2023 will be against Equatorial Guinea on January 14, 2024.

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