Former Nigerian and Chelsea midfielder, John Obi Mikel has compared Augustine Eguavoen, the interim head coach of the Super Eagles, to Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti.
This compliment follows Nigeria’s impressive performance in the AFCON 2025 qualifiers against Benin Republic and Rwanda.
Eguavoen was appointed temporary coach of the side after the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) failed to reach an agreement with German tactician Bruno Labbadia.
Mikel, who played under great managers throughout his career, compared Eguavoen to his previous Chelsea boss, for allowing players to express themselves freely on the field.
“I knew the interim manager, Augustine Eguavoen, who managed me as a child. He was my U-17 coach and led us to the World Cup. Fantastic, lovely gentleman, a boss who offers you the freedom to express yourself, and communicates to you very well.
“He reminds me so much of Carlo Ancelotti, no joke, and his man management is excellent. He has excellent communication skills with players. He is quite humble. He talks with players quite well and wraps his arm around you.
“He gets his teammates on his side, which is extremely crucial. You could envision coming in on short notice and having the crew perform so brilliantly. “You cannot teach them so much in such a short period of time.”
Written by Jennifer Amarachi
