Former Spain youth international, Sunday Stephen has come out with a strong prediction that the Super Eagles will surely qualify for next year’s FIFA World Cup.
Sports247 reports that, although the Eagles approach halfway point of the 2026 Mundial’s qualifiers in fifth place on their six-team group’s table, Stephen, who was fondly called ‘Sunny’ during his days in Spain, insists the Nigerian squad will eventually pull through.
The dark-skinned battling midfielder, who grew up in the Oshodi area of Lagos, where he was popularly known as ‘Onyan,’ but played for Spain at the 2007 FIFA U20 World Cup in Canada, reckoned further that Nigeria’s array of star players cannot afford missing two straight editions of the World Cup.
The former Poli Ejido and Valencia of Spain ace, who was at the start of his career initially registered as Sunday Uwafili, declared, “We have the boys who can make us proud, and we have a good history. It’s unfortunate that we could not qualify the last time; but I believe, this time around, we will get a ticket.”
Stephen, who also played for Osasuna, Real Betis and Numancia of Spain, as well as Bnei Sakhnin of Israel, CSKA Sofia of Bulgaria, Alayanspor of Turkey, then Real Salt and Real Monarchs of USA, before joining Pafos of Cyprus, where he hung his boots in 2020, concluded by pointing out that the Super Eagles need the support of all Nigerians for them to qualify.
“We have to believe in them and pray for them as well. We have the boys who are doing well, but they need our support. They know that qualifying is important, and I personally know they can do it,” Sunny concluded emphatically.
