The Nigerian coach, Portuguese José Peseiro, former assistant to Queiroz at Real Madrid and who will play the African Cup of Nations final this Sunday, assured in an interview with EFE that "Europe increasingly needs street football from Africa and South America".

The Portuguese, who has also coached national teams such as Saudi Arabia or Venezuela, analyzed how Europe benefits from African players, as the continent needs "kids who come from there (Africa and South America), hungry to play".

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After leading Nigeria to the final next Sunday against the host, Ivory Coast, by winning on penalties against South Africa, he recognizes that their star player is forward Osimhen (Napoli) and that Lookman (Atalanta) arrives in his prime as Nigeria's top scorer.

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Question: How do you feel after reaching the final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)?

Answer: Very happy because it's a tough, stressful competition. I think we're doing very well. It's a challenge I took on when I signed the contract with Nigeria in 2022, to win AFCON. I didn't want to sign for longer, the contract was until the end of AFCON. When I signed, I told everyone I wanted to win it, and now I'm in the final. But winning it is still pending.

Q: Much international media attention on AFCON.

A: All African teams have many players in Europe: France, Spain, England, Germany, Portugal... Europe increasingly needs African and South American players because it's the essence of football. Europe increasingly needs kids who come from there because there's hunger to play, there's quality, and there's street football.

In the last World Cup, of the five African teams playing, only two players played in Africa.

Q: Lookman has become one of Nigeria's sensations...

A: He's the son of Nigerians and he already played for England U-17s, but he came to play with us, as others have. Lookman is having a fantastic tournament, but when he arrived, he had difficulties adapting to African football, as others have. It's a more physical, open, faster football, less organized. Some players need time, and Lookman is now at his best since joining the Nigerian team.

Conditions here are different, the food, logistics, everything is different and requires more sacrifice from players who are used to having everything in Europe. It's a whole different ball game here.

Our biggest figure is Osimhen, who works hard for the team: attacking, defending, and providing a lot of depth. He's a very big figure, but the main figure is the 24 who form a team with collective spirit and believe in what we're doing.

Q: What is the secret of Peseiro's model in Nigeria?

A: We don't work on physical aspects, we work on tactics. Football has changed, we train with the ball, we work on counterattacks, defense, transitions, and that's the main thing. We want to control the game with the ball, but also know how to play on the counter. In this competition, which is short, if you make a mistake, you're dead, and that's why for this tournament we chose a compact structure, the 3-4-3 system. And it has worked, because we've only conceded 2 goals.

Q: In the group stage, Nigeria already beat Ivory Coast.

A: At first, for me, there were three favorites: Senegal, Morocco, and Ivory Coast. And there were contenders like Nigeria or Egypt. And only two remain of all. This competition is very dense, very complex. It's impressive how the fans experience it, as if it were the World Cup, and that puts a lot of pressure on the player. We beat Ivory Coast, that's true, but now it will be another game. They will play at home, but we want to win.