Former Nigerian international, Peter Rufai says he’s delighted that Super Eagles goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali has solved the country’s goalkeeping crisis after his impressive display at the just concluded 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Recall that Nwabali’s remarkable performances played a pivotal role in Nigeria’s journey to the tournament final, earning accolades from both far and near, with former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Rufai, fondly called Dodo Mayana hailing the Chippa United star’s contributions.
The former Enyimba shot-stopper also set a new record for the most minutes without conceding a goal by a Nigerian goalkeeper at the afcon, going 493 minutes across six games.
In an interview with TVC News Nigeria, the 1994 AFCON winner stated that after assessing Nwabali in the first game against Equatorial Guinea, he was impressed with his general command of his 18-yard box.
“In the commencement of the AFCON, the first match against Equatorial Guinea, that was my first time seeing Stanley Nwabali.
“Immediately I assessed his performance, his movement, communication, composure and I immediately said to myself Nigeria has been able to solve this problem, the yearning of Nigeria getting a better goalkeeper for the Super Eagles.
“Nwabali in that first match [against Equatorial Guinea] satisfied me and I was happy with what I saw, Nigerians were happy with what they saw as well but it didn’t just end there,” he stated.
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