As the captain of the Golden Eaglets – the national Under-16 team to the first FIFA junior World Cup in China in 1985 – Nduka Ugbade lifted the trophy at the expense of the then West Germany in the final. Jonathan Akpoborie and Victory Igbinoba had scored Nigeria’s two goals in the match.
Nduka Ugbade
The tournament, then known as FIFA/Kodak World Cup, was referred to as JVC/FIFA World Cup in the following edition, after which it metamorphosed to its current name, Coca Cola/FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Twenty-eight years later, he was on the technical crew of the Golden Eaglets that won last year’s edition of the tournament in United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Without hiding his feelings, the ex-international told TheNiche that it was a dream come true for him and that he is very happy.
He said: “I’m proud to have won the FIFA Under-17 World Cup as a player and coach. I’m the first to have done it in the history of the tournament. It’s wonderful. It’s awesome.
“Being the first to lift the trophy (at China ’85), I have always believed that I could win the competition as a coach. It was my dream and I’m very happy to have realised it.
“I’m delighted to have won the tournament with my former teammates – Manu Garba (chief coach), Emmanuel Amuneke (his fellow Tunisia ’94 Africa Cup of Nations winner) and Emeka Amadi (Golden Eaglets goalkeeping coach and his former Flying Eagles teammate).
“Manu was my teammate at El-Kanemi, and it was a great experience assisting him to win the Under-17 World Cup.”
Ugbade would have made history as the only African to play in all Federation of International Football Association (FIFA)-organised football competitions – Under-17, Under-20 and the senior World Cup – if he had made it to the USA ’94 World Cup.
Twenty years after missing the highest football fiesta, Ugbade said he had no regrets for missing the tournament.
Ugbade said: “Regrets? No. I had a wonderful moment while playing for the country, but that does not mean that those periods were not filled with ups and downs.
“There were actually ups and downs, and perhaps one of those moments was missing the USA ’94 World Cup. But I don’t want to talk much on it.”
Reflecting on his memorable moments during his playing days, the hard-working defence marshal was quick to pick the Golden Eaglets feat of 1985 at the U-17 level and the Super Eagles feat at the Africa Nations Cup of 1994 held in Tunis, Tunisia.
“There are a lot of memorable moments that I cannot mention; but two of those moments close to my heart were the U-17 World Cup in China in 1985 and the Nations Cup victory in Tunis, Tunisia in 1994.
“As captain of the team and winning the first ever World Cup for my country gladdens my heart and the memory still lingers,” said Ugbade.
Four years after helping the country to lift the U-17 trophy in China, he was part of Nigeria’s Under-20 team at the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship (WYC) that placed second and won silver in Saudi Arabia.
Nigeria lost to Portugal in the final match, but Ugbade and his teammates were the toast of the spectators after posting spectacular wins over hosts Saudi Arabia, highly favoured United States, and the USSR.
Against the USSR, the Nigerian team recovered from a 4-0 deficit to level 4-4, with Ugbade scoring the fourth before Nigeria won on penalties. This win is fondly referred to in Nigerian football history as the “Damman Miracle”.
After his immensely successful youth football career, Ugbade featured in the Nigerian senior national team for some years, but was plagued by injuries and poor form in the later years of his career.
Ugbade has a word for the up-and-coming players who want to succeed in their footballing career.
“They should first have the fear of God. They must be hardworking, honest and truthful, with determination as their watchword.
“They must take their education very seriously and look beyond their talents. They must also not forget to be humble and respectful.
“If they could put all these together and remain focused, then the future will be very bright for them and I wish them all the best,” he said.