Edema Fuludu, a member of the victorious Super Eagles squad that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia, on Tuesday said that the name “Dream Team“ is now synonymous the U-23 team national team.
Fuludu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the name was not the exclusive preserve of the Atlanta `96 gold winning squad alone.
NAN reports that since after the 1996 U-23 squad won a gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics, succeeding U-23 teams have failed to live up to the reputation created by the Nwankwo Kanu-captained squad.
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“I personally believe that squads can never be the same, there are differences when it comes to training and discipline; no two different squads are the same.
“Having said that, yes the name Dream Team then because the team had great potential which gave them the name, but that name remained.
“It necessarily doesn’t matter if they are winning or losing, that name remains. In fact the name should challenge them to give their best to the team,’’ he said.
Fuludu, who plied his trade with Julius Berger FC of Lagos (Now defunct) during his active days, added that comparing different generations of footballers may not be a good yardstick for assessment.
“By nature, people hate to be compared, take 10 individuals and ask which among them likes to be compared, there is a probability that hardly will three people like that.
“I believe comparison brings unnecessary pressure on teams which is not advisable, we are different in some unique ways, and we should know that modern day footballers are different.
“If we want the best from these players, allow them to be themselves no pressure, then support them, show them motivation, give them a target and watch them become three times better than what you expect,’’ he said. (NAN)
