Victor Ikpeba: Nigeria has talent, Bafana Bafana has heart

Nigerian football legend Victor Ikpeba has weighed in on what he believes is the reason for his native team's downfall and Bafana Bafana's recent rise.

Bafana and Nigeria are set to face off in a crucial 2026 World Cup qualifier at Toyota Stadium on Tuesday night (6pm kick-off). In the past, this would have been seen as an easy win for the Super Eagles due to their superior depth.

However, things have changed. Bafana have been on an upward trajectory, while Nigeria has regressed. As a result, the two will clash in the City of Roses with Bafana on a strong path to qualify for the World Cup.

Bafana currently top Group C with 16 points, six ahead of the third-placed Super Eagles after six matches. Speaking at the Protea Willow Lake Hotel in Bloemfontein, Ikpeba explained what he thinks has been the difference between the two teams.

"I think the coach (Bafana's, Hugo Broos) is encouraging the players to give their all, with a little bit of discipline and flair," Ikpeba noted. "What you guys have is heart, and we don't. We've got the talent, but we need more."

Ikpeba is right. Nigeria has so much depth that they are expected to easily replace their injured talisman, Victor Osimhen.

Ikpeba, however, says the team must do better in adapting to the demands of African football.

"As former players, we try to be constructive and supportive. But we don't really know what's happening in camp—that's for the coach (Eric Chelle)," Ikpeba admitted. "It’s disappointing because you have these raw talents, and we see them playing in Europe.

"So, again, there's a difficulty in coming home and playing in Africa. But we have to question the mentality of these players. It's not what it's supposed to be. During my era, we knew what it took to come back and play at home... We kept on working hard."

Although Nigeria boasts a strong European contingent—which includes Osimhen (Galatasaray), Ademola Lookman (Atalanta), and Alex Iwobi (Fulham)—the last time they qualified for the World Cup was in 2018 in Russia.

Ikpeba insists that they will only qualify for major tournaments when the players start to value their national team.

"I think when the boys start to take pride in playing for the Nigerian national team, the result will be better. Talent is not enough to win games in Africa," Ikpeba said. "It's good to see the competitiveness of playing football in Africa.

"Sometimes, they come from Europe and think that it's easy. They now understand that it's not. We still need to educate them."