S’ Eagles players made sacrifices to give Nigerians joy – Peseiro

Former Super Eagles coach, José Peseiro (MON) has said members of the senior male national team made sacrifices to give Nigerians the joy they deserve as a nation. .

Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) account, the Portuguese coach thanked Nigerians and the sporting press for their support during his time in charge of the team.

“I want to thank all Nigerians and the entire press for the interest, support, and encouragement given to the Super Eagles while I was their coach. I would like to ask all of you to always support your players.

“These athletes give their all for the Super Eagles, taking pride in representing their country. The players make sacrifices to bring you joy.

“The Super Eagles deserve all your support, which will be very important for the great challenges that lie ahead.” he said.

The Portuguese who quit his post last week following the expiration of his contract with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) also tasked Nigerians to keep backing the Super Eagles no matter the circumstances.

During his 22-month stay with the three-time African champions, he led the Super Eagles in 23 games. Under his watch, the team’s record stood at 11 victories, 7 losses, and 4 draws.

The Super Eagles won four and lost six of their 10 games in his debut year as head coach. Among the six lost, five were friendly games.

The ten matches began with his first game against Mexico in a friendly match in Texas on May 29, 2022, and ended with Nigeria defeating Sierra Leone 3-2 on June 18, 2023.

The Super Eagles won seven, drew four, and lost two of the other 13 games played after his contract was extended in September 2023.

The team won five of its seven matches at the 2023 AFCON, drawing its first game against Equatorial Guinea and losing the final against the host nation, making it the runners-up at the tournament.

The former Saudi Arabia and Venezuela coach guided the team to second position at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and was honoured by the federal government with a national honour, landed property and a house.

As at press time, the NFF is yet to name his successor but it was learnt he has been offered a new contract worth $80,000 a month which he is yet to accept.