A friend recently asked me to proffer a possible solution to the present goalkeeping crisis in the Super Eagles. 

I told him emphatically that we don't have any problem in the goalkeeping department of the Super Eagles. 

He insisted that since Vincent Enyeama left the Super Eagles that it has been one heart break to the other. That gone are the days when the back line of the Super Eagles was the saving grace of the team. He said that in the past that Nigeria always produced goalkeepers that stood the test of time. But, what we have now are bunch of goalkeepers that easily gave up when the chips are down. 

He said that Nigeria has produced great goalkeepers like the following, but not in any special order,  from 1949 when the first ever Nigeria national football team was formed  with players who had featured for amateur teams while the country was still a colony of the British Empire. The “1949 UK Tourists” or the “Red Devils”, as they were known at the time. 

We have had Icons like goalkeeper Isaac Akioye who went on to performed brilliantly on their 1949 Tour. Sam Ibiam, Clement Andre, Carl O’Dwyer, 
Rufus Ejele,  Inuwa Rigogo, Olu Onagoruwa, Peter Fregene, Joe Erico, Eyo Essien, Emmanuel Okala, Best Ogedengbe, Patrick Okala, Peter Rufai, Wilfred Agbonivbare, Aloy Agu,  Vincent Enyeama, Austin Ejide, 
Theophilus Afelokhai, Murphy Akanji, Ike Shorunmu, Peterside Idah, Chigozie Agbim, Daniel Akpeyi, Willy Okpara , Abiodun Baruwa , Ndubuisi Egbo, Emmanuel Omiunu, Etta Egbe, Greg Etafia, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Carl Ikeme, David Ngodigha, Okiemute Odah, Maduka Okoye, Sunday Rotimi, Ike Shorunmu, Francis Uzoho,  David Ngodigha, Moses Effiong, Kayode Bankole, Olorunleke Ojo among others. 

In all, the role of a goalkeeper in a team is well defined. Firstly, he is  in charge of intercepting or stopping the ball before it crosses the final line that is in the goal and thus prevent the opponent from scoring a goal. As they say in football parlance, it is the lifeline of the teams.

Goalkeepers are the last line of defense, the furthest player from the opposition goal at pretty much all times. Their job is to guard their goal and keep a "clean sheet", doing everything they can to stop the opposing team from scoring, and instructing the defenders around them in order to help them achieve this goal.

The various skills that a goalkeeper must possess should include talking,  Quick Reflexes,ability to Cover  Angles, ability to read Opponents, ability to diving, ability to approach high balls and ability to play game With The Feet. But, when these facts are over looked, and more blunders are committed at regular intervals, left much to desire. 

Quick facts about these Nigeria National team goalkeepers is that only five of them made more than 30 appearances for the Super Eagles, while 
only one hit a century of appearances for the Super Eagles. He is Vincent Enyeama, often regarded as Nigeria’s greatest goalkeeper.
Vincent Enyeama was ranked as Africa's greatest goalkeeper by the International Federation for Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) in March 2023.

Sam Ibiam is Nigeria’s first official goalkeeper in competitions. He shares the record for the least goals conceded while in goal for Nigeria with Inua Rigogo. Emmanuel Okala and Patrick Okala were brothers who were in the team around the same time. They are the first Nigeria national football team siblings and the only ones to be goalkeepers. Peter Rufai was the first Nigerian goalkeeper to play in Europe.

In all these, it is very evident that Nigeria has never been in lack of goalkeepers since 1949, till recently. It is also evident that most of the goalkeeper that later became prominent between the sticks, all started from home before becoming prominent from at the foreign scene. Our problems in that department started when emphasis started with those born or bred overseas. Box 18 still insist that there are no crisis in our goalkeeping department, only that those in charge has refused to do the right thing. I just hope that our dreams of "doing it again" in Ivory coast will not be jeopardize by poor goalkeeping.