Nigeria legend Jay-Jay Okocha has knighted Pitso Mosimane and stated that he would be happy to see him coach the Super Eagles.
Mosimane, 59, has been linked with a move to the African giants after his exit from Al Wahda in the United Arab Emirates.
Current Nigeria head coach José Peseiro has come under pressure after starting the qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with two surprise draws with Lesotho and Zimbabwe and many believe a bad run at the Africa Cup of Nations could seal the Portuguese’s fate.
Mosimane, meanwhile, has openly admitted that he’d love to coach at national team level and will wait for the right offer instead of rushing into his next job.
‘Jingles’ now received high praise from seven-time Nigeria Footballer of the Year, Okocha, who believes he’d be a good fit for the Super Eagles.
“Of course, I think Pitso is without any doubt one of the best African coaches. His track record is there for everyone to be seen,” he said during an event in Johannesburg to celebrate 60 years of Bundesliga.
“If we [Nigeria] can get a coach like that, he’d add great value to our football, a coach that has a lot of experience at home in Africa.
“I don’t know how true that is [the rumours], but of course a coach like that is most welcome.”
Despite having players like Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho, Nigeria have only won six out of 14 games under Peseiro, and Okocha believes the coach needs to do a better job to make them perform better as a team.
“I don’t think we’re where we supposed to be,” he explained.
“We’ve always believed that we’re one of the best in Africa, but of course recently we’ve not had the results to match that status.
“We might have lost a bit of that respect and fear that we’ve had during our era, but this is what we’re trying to bring back.
“We’ve got very good young players now, but it’s all about getting them to play as a team and not as individual superstars.
“This is where the coaches will have to come in place. But without any doubt I think we have a good team.”
Okocha himself is working as part of the Bundesliga legends these days. He’s representing the German league where he had his breakthrough at Eintracht Frankfurt in the early 1990s. Many remember his brilliant solo goal when he took the entire Karlsruher SC defence and then goalkeeper Oliver Kahn for a tango in the 1992/93 season.
