Nigeria Legend Shorunmu Recalls AFCON Memories With Lessons For Super Eagles Amid Nwabali’s Critics
Ike Shorunmu’s name is etched into Nigerian football folklore as a reliable and fearless goalkeeper.
The former Besiktas and FC Zuurich goalkeeper represented Nigeria during a golden era that produced legends such as the late Stephen Keshi, Sunday Oliseh, and Nwankwo Kanu.
Shorunmu featured in four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, beginning with his first appearance at AFCON 1992 in Senegal, where he served as backup to Alloysius Agu and David Ngodigha.
His patience and perseverance paid off two years later when he played a role in Nigeria’s triumphant AFCON 1994 campaign, a tournament that remains one of the Super Eagles’ most celebrated achievements.
His final AFCON appearance came in 2002 in Mali, closing a chapter on a distinguished international playing career.
“I was so fortunate to play and again to coach at the Africa Cup of Nations.. It is a very big festival” Shorunmu told R.org. “It is a high-profile tournament that is improving every two to three years.
“I would say any player that has had the experience to play in the tournament, should thank his God and appreciate that he was selected by his country.”
Ahead of AFCON 2025 in Morocco, CAF President Patrice Motsepe announced that the competition would move to a four-year cycle starting from 2028.
The decision has sparked widespread debate across Africa, with fans, players, and former internationals divided on its implications.
Shorunmu is firmly opposed to the change, arguing that it undermines African football culture and limits opportunities for players.
“For me, we need to follow our culture,” Shorunmu continued. “We don’t need to follow European culture where they play their championship every four years just like the World Cup, that is what I mean.
“We play our own every two to three years and for me, I believe two to three years is much better for us because some players may not have that opportunity to be part of this big tournament in Africa for four years.
“I believe two to three years is much better.”
Lessons From Nigeria’s 2013 AFCON Triumph
Beyond his playing career, the 58-year-old also played a pivotal role as goalkeeper coach during Nigeria’s historic AFCON 2013 victory in South Africa under Stephen Keshi.
The Super Eagles defeated Burkina Faso 1–0 in the final, thanks to a first-half strike from Sunday Mba.
Shorunmu revealed that meticulous planning and tactical discipline were key to Nigeria’s success, explaining how the technical crew identified Burkina Faso striker Aristide Bancé as the main threat and adjusted their defensive approach accordingly.
“The good thing is that when you are in a tournament, you need to have a lot of strategies to keep going,” he revealed.
“The way you play in the group stage is quite different from the knockout stages. In the knockout stage, you need to have another strategy that when you score a goal, you need to have a good defence, a good planning, good thinking for game management – that was the difference for us.
“Against Burkina Faso, we first played them in the group stage and it ended 1-1. Later in the final, we won 1-0 so it was a kind of match that required us to be very careful.
“We really analysed their team and we singled out their striker who was Bance after a lot of studies about him.
“The conclusion was that we shouldn’t let any crosses from both sides, either from the right side or the left side so he was not able to get an opportunity to use his head. It was something that paid off and I’m thankful for the goalkeeper, Enyeama, and the solid defenders that we had.”
Advice for Super Eagles & Nwabali
With Nigeria advancing to the knockout stage of AFCON 2025 in Morocco, Shorunmu believes the Super Eagles are showing renewed hunger after their failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
He urged head coach Eric Chelle and his players to remain focused and disciplined as the margin for error narrows.
Shorunmu said: “Well, the good thing is that they’ve skipped through the group stage. Right now, we don’t want to make any mistakes that will cost the team so they need to be very careful.
“We need to be calculative in this knockout phase of the competition so the goalkeepers have to be 120% because that department is very sensitive.
“You can see our players, they are hungry to get something positive because they realise their mistakes in the World Cup qualifiers.
“They have missed the World Cup, and they have realised they have missed a very big chance in their life. For some of them, maybe that will be their last chance to play in the World Cup.
“With the last three matches they have played in this tournament, they proved everyone wrong.
“They have fought as a team and they are showing signs to get something positive out of this tournament. If they continue like this, the sky is their limit.”
Much of the public scrutiny has fallen on Nigeria’s goalkeepers, particularly Stanley Nwabali and Francis Uzoho, who have conceded a combined four goals in three matches.
Shorunmu, however, offered a strong defence of Nwabali, emphasising the psychological demands of the goalkeeping position.
He urged fans to understand the player’s background, and he applauded the Chippa United’s shot-stopper for being a reliable force.
“My advice to the goalkeepers is to be on top of their game because if the goalkeeper is good, that means we are one point ahead of the opponent,” he added.
“One thing I want you to understand is that everybody has their own philosophy of life. For Nwabali’s philosophy of life, if you know him from the Nigerian league, that’s the way he is.
“But you still need to work on him mentally to let him know that this department is a very sensitive department. If he does it right, he gets his flowers but when he performs otherwise, he might be locked out.
“Frankly speaking, Nwabali has been doing a wonderful job since the last tournament in Côte d’Ivoire, and I want Nigerians to encourage him with support.
“I want him to continue to be on top of his game.”
A win for Nigeria against Mozambique in the round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations means the three-time African champions could face either Algeria or the Democratic Republic of Congo in the quarter-final in Marrakech later in the week.