Finidi George Wants to Emulate Stephen Keshi by Winning AFCON As Nigeria Coach

• Finidi Geroge is enjoying his spell as Nigeria's caretaker coach
• He led the Super Eagles to a massive win over bitter rivals, Ghana
• The 52-year-old has stated that he wants to emulate Stephen Keshi

Nigeria's interim coach, Finidi George, has expressed his desire to emulate the late Stephen Keshi, who won the Africa Cup of Nations as a player and coach.

George is the Super Eagles' interim coach and is a serious candidate for the permanent role.

Keshi played in five AFCON tournaments and captained the Super Eagles to their second continental crown in 1994 in Tunisia.

He is the only local coach to lead the national team to AFCON glory. He also led Nigeria to the last 16 of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He sadly passed away in 2016, per Al Jazeera.

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George and Keshi won the 1994 AFCON together as players. The interim coach says he wants to emulate the Nigerian icon.

"I would like to emulate Keshi and win the AFCON. He won it as a player, and then as a coach, which is fantastic. I would like to do the same. The first thing, though, is to qualify first," he said via Complete Sports.

The former Real Betis star is not worried about the decision the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will take in regards to naming the next head coach.

"I’m here to serve Nigeria, I’ve been called upon to do that, and I will do it to my best capacity, the way I know how to do stuff. I will just take these 2 games and go back to my club. Whatever decision is taken after, so be it. I’m not under pressure to say, 'It must be me'."

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In his first match, George led the Super Eagles to their first win over bitter rivals, Ghana, since 2006.

Iheanacho wants Finidi to stay

Sports Brief earlier reported on Leicester City striker, Kelechi Iheanacho sharing his thoughts on George as Nigeria's caretaker coach.

The ex-Manchester City striker praised the former Ajax star, saying he hopes he stays longer and is given the job on a full-time basis.

Osimhen’s AFCON display impacted George's tactics

Sports Brief also reported on Finidi explaining how Victor Osimhen's performance at the 2023 AFCON influenced his team's formation against Ghana.

The 52-year-old emphasised the burden placed on the Napoli superstar during the tournament and also stated he was keen to avoid a repeat of that.