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#1 The future looking bright for the Super Eagles
Nigeria are one of the traditional footballing nations on the African continent, but things have not exactly panned out well for the three-time African champions in recent years.
Having triumphed in the 2013 Nations Cup, the country failed to qualify for the next two editions, but returned with a bang at the 2019 tournament and finished in third-place, eliminating the defending Champions along the way.
Under Gernot Rohr's management, Nigeria have made steady gains and it has begun to reflect in performances on the field and the current crop of Super Eagles' players are among the best in recent memory.
Victor Osimhen has been banging in goals for fun with Lille in the French League, while Wilfred Ndidi is arguably the standout holding midfielder in the Premier League today.
Other youngsters like Samuel Chukwueze (Villareal), Dennis Emmanuel (Club Brugge), and Samuel Kalu (Bordeaux) are also impressing on the continent, but perhaps the biggest source of optimism is Joe Aribo.
Nigeria has cried out for a quality attacking midfielder since the legendary Jay-Jay Okocha exited the scene almost 15 years ago, but in the Rangers star, they might have found their man.
The 22-year-old has been one of the stars for Steven Gerrard this season in the Scottish Premiership and despite being eligible for England, he has chosen to represent the Super Eagles.
He scored a debut goal in his first international outing against Ukraine last month and has followed that up with another fine performance against one of the best teams on the international scene.
Despite coming up against renowned midfielders like Arthur, Casemiro, and Coutinho, Aribo was unfazed and held his own for the entirety of his time on the field and capped a fine display with a well-taken goal.
Nigeria might be a long way off from their glory days of USA '94 and Atlanta '96, but with the current crop of players, the future looks very bright for them indeed.
