Amokachi scored a 90th minute equalizer which helped Nigeria to come from behind to win the final against Argentina.
Daniel Amokachi (Getty Images)
Former Nigerian Olympian, Daniel Amokachi says character was the key factor that helped the Dream Team win football Gold at Atlanta 96.
Amokachi
was part of Nigeria’s U-23 side that beat the likes of Brazil and
Argentina on the way to winning a historic Gold medal at the football
event of the 1996 Olympics.
The former forward scored a 90th minute equalizer which helped Nigeria to come from behind to win the final against Argentina.
Taking his mind back to the win, Amokachi says that the character of the team helped them in winning Gold at the games.
Atlanta 96 Gold winning squad (Getty Images )
“The character, maturity and mentality of us all is what made us into champions,” the former Nigeria;s NO. 14 told FIFA official website.
“The
love that we had for each other made it possible because we were one
strong family. I remember when the (Nigerian) FA were unhappy with Jo Bonfrere and they decided to bring in another coach and lay him off just a couple of days before the Olympics.
"We
were already in America and as a team we said: ‘If you’re sending him
away, then you’ll need to find new players.’ That spirit alone showed
and made us believe that we were all in this together and that it would
make us into champions.”
Dream Team VI (FIFA.com)
Amokachi,
who scored 13 times in 44 games for Nigeria also believes that the
current Dream team can pull off the same Gold winning feat of 1996
“Every generation has their moment,” the former Everton forward said.
“The
current team have a coach who is with them and they did well in
qualification. They have to go there and be themselves, enjoy every
second of the experience game by game, and we’ll see what happens.”
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