Nigeria and the Top 5 African Golden Generations in Football

International football has witnessed some iconic teams in the last few decades normally called Golden Generations.

The term Golden Generation is always used to describe a group of skilled players at their peak playing for one team. Brazil, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, England and Spain had incredible teams in the past.

Some of these teams dominated international football, while others fell short in major continental and global tournaments.

Over the years, Africa produced legendary Golden Generations and not all of them were successful. In fact, a few made a mark at the World Cup. So, which are the top 5 Golden Generations in African football history? Sports Brief takes a look.

Top 5 African Golden Generations

5. Ghana - 2009

The Black Stars are known as one of the giants of African football, but they have fallen short on so many occasions, especially in the Africa Cup of Nations. One of their biggest accomplishments was reaching the quarter-final of the 2010 World Cup.

Ghana won the U-20 FIFA World Cup in 2009 after beating Brazil in the final in Egypt. That team had talents like Daniel Adjei, Samuel Inkoom, Jonathan, David Addy, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Andre Ayew, Daniel Opare and Mohammed Rabiu.

However, only a handful of those players made the 2010 World Cup squad. Golden Ball and Golden Boot winner Dominic Adiyiah failed to live up to expectations.

5. Senegal - 2002

The Lions of Teranga had a historic 2002. Despite losing the final of the Africa Cup of Nations earlier that year, they stunned world Champions France in the 2002 World Cup. That team had the talent and character to go toe to toe with any team in the world.

The likes of El-Hadji Diouf, Papa Bouba Diop, Henri Camara, and Aliou Cisse played a huge role in that historic run. However, they quickly faded in the coming years, and their biggest failure was the lack of a continental crown to cement their greatness.

4. Cote d'Ivoire - 2006-2015

Ivory Coast had perhaps the greatest team ever assembled in Africa. They had an elite striker in Didier Drogba, a talented midfielder in Yaya Toure and a rock-solid centre-back in Kolo Toure. These three were complemented by a team of outstanding squad players who played for some of Europe's top teams.

Nevertheless, they fell short. They did not win an AFCON title until 2015, and although they reached the World Cup for the first time in 2006, they never went past the group stages. It is fair to say they underachieved.

3. Nigeria - 1994-1998

It is common knowledge that Nigeria is one of Africa's biggest footballing nations. They have consistently produced the best talent on the continent. In the mid-90s, their team was stacked. In 1994, they won the Africa Cup of Nations and then qualified for the World Cup for the first time that year.

They topped their Group, which contained Argentina but crashed out in the Round of 16. In 1996 at the Olympics, they won gold, and in the 1998 World Cup, they beat Spain in a thriller in the opening match.

That team contained Jay-Jay Okocha, Sunday Oliseh, Emmanuel Amunike, Nwankwo Kanu, Daniel Amokachi, Celestine Babayaro, Victor Ikpeba and Taribo West, to name a few.

2. Egypt - 2006 - 2010

The Pharaohs won three straight AFCON titles in 2006, 2008 and 2010, an unprecedented achievement that will likely never be touched.

The team had the likes of Wael Gomaa, Essam El-Hadary, Ahmed Hassan, Hossam Hassan, Mohamed Aboutrika, Amr Zaki, Gedo, Mido, and others.

They won the three-peat under the legendary Hassan Shehata. The only stain this team had was failing to qualify for the World Cup. If only we could get to see that squad at the World Cup.

1. Cameroon 2000-2003

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One could argue that Cameroon is the greatest footballing nation in Africa. They produced two iconic players, Samuel Eto'o and Roger Milla, and were one of the first African countries to make a mark at the World Cup.

At the start of the new millennium, they won AFCON, then won gold in the 2000 Olympics in Australia, and then won AFCON in 2002.

The untimely demise of Marc-Vivien Foe at the 2003 Confederations Cup saw the dominance of their Golden Generation come to an end.

Nigeria with the most to prove at AFCON

Despite having some of the best African talent over the years, the North Africans have struggled to make a mark in Africa's biggest football tournament.

Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire are the other teams that will be expected to go all the way since they have produced some of Africa's best players.