Peseiro: I’m proud to coach Nigeria.. one of world’s greatest football nations

Jose Peseiro, newly appointed Super Eagles head coach, has promised to ensure Nigeria becomes “four-time African champions.”

The Portuguese tactician gave the assurance in a tweet on his verified Twitter account on Wednesday.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirmed Peseiro’s appointment earlier this month. He is replacing Austin Eguavoen, who resigned as the Eagles head coach in April.

The NFF said the 62-year-old will take over the team “with immediate effect, subject to the signing of agreed terms.”

The Portuguese had remained silent about the deal, with little known about his end of the contract.

Pride! It is with great pride and joy that I am the coach of one of the greatest football nations in the world.
Commanding the Super Eagles starts with knowing how to respect history, value it and be inspired by its roots. pic.twitter.com/IXDozU28Ca

— Jose Peseiro (@JosePeseiro) May 25, 2022

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But speaking for the first time since the announcement, Peseiro described his new role as being “the coach of one of the greatest football nations in the world.”

He added that since Nigerians want success, he will work “with great ambition” to achieve that while leading the Eagles.

“Pride! It is with great pride and joy that I am the coach of one of the greatest football nations in the world. Commanding the Super Eagles starts with knowing how to respect the history, value it and be inspired by its roots,” Peseiro wrote.

“Over 200 million Nigerians from all states and ethnicities want the same thing: success. We will work with great ambition so that in the end, we can finally call Nigeria the ‘four-time African champions’!”

The first assignment for the Portuguese will be the international friendlies against Mexico and Ecuador billed for the United States on May 28 and June 2, respectively.

The matches are warm-up games for the Eagles ahead of the 2023 African Cup Of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, where the team will face Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, and Mauritius.

Nigeria will be gunning for their fourth AFCON title should the team scale through the qualifiers into the competition held in Ivory Coast.