1) Dream Team VI
It’s only natural that Dream Team VI makes it to the top of the food chain with the best Nigerian performance from Rio 2016 Olympics.
When you win your country’s sole medal at the Olympics, it sure would be a consensus for the best performance award so the U-23 Football team have totally earned this spot.
Faced with so many ordeals before making it to the Olympics, the Dream Team somehow surmounted the odds and won a Bronze medal, beating Honduras 3-2 in their 3rd place match.
Having drawn worldwide sympathy and ridicule at the same time, the Dream Team captained by Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel did not leave for Brazil as at when planned, only making the trip on the day of their opening match against Japan.
Shoddy arrangements ensured that the team were holed up in Atlanta before Delta Airlines moved in to fly them to Manaus as they arrived just six hours to the game.
Although slowed down by fatigue, they still went on to beat a much relaxed Japanese side 5-4, also beating Sweden in their second game 1-0, which afforded them the luxury of resting players in the third game, which they lost to Colombia.
The Dream Team comfortably won their quarterfinal game against Denmark, but lost to Germany in the semifinals, missing the services of Oghenekaro Etebo who scored four goals, and Azubuike Okechukwu, the engine of their midfield through suspension.
Knowing that they presented Nigeria’s best chance for a medal, they didn’t bottle it as they held on to secure Bronze, and prevent Nigeria from ending a second successive Olympics without a medal.
It was the plight of the squad and their travails that made a Japanese Surgeon, Dr Katsuya Takasu travel and watch the team, rewarding coach Samson Siasia and his players with $390,000 for their efforts.
Truly they deserve their spot as the Nigeria’s best performance at the Olympics.
