Former Nigerian international, Jonathan Akpoborie has expressed his support for the appointment of Bruno Labbadia as the head coach of Nigeria’s national football team, the Super Eagles.

Labbadia, who has previously managed Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg, Hamburg, and Bayer Leverkusen, was chosen over other contenders, including Fabio Cannavaro, Aitor Karanka, and Gustavo Poyet, to lead the Nigerian team.

Akpoborie, who spent much of his career in Germany before retiring, told Brila.net that Labbadia is a strong choice for the role.

“Bruno was a prolific striker; we were adversaries in the Bundesliga. He played for many big clubs in Germany and is a very good player and a well-known coach there,” Akpoborie told Brila.net.

“Appointing him as the Super Eagles coach is an upgrade compared to the names that have handled the team in the past.”

While Akpoborie does not consider Labbadia to be an “A-list coach,” he believes that the appointment brings a coach of significant caliber to the team.

“We were just hoping now, because football, you never can tell. But all those things apart, they’ve picked somebody that is capable of actually handling our national team for a very long time,” he added.

“This is somebody that can handle our national team, and I’m hoping that the chemistry between him and the players will come together, and we’ll see good football from Nigeria.”

Jonathan Akpoborie however stated that there is the need for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the entire football community to support the new coach.

“The system wants to support the coach because, without the system supporting the coach, there is a problem. The coach must be independent in picking those who are supposed to represent Nigeria. This is a significant factor that we’ve missed,” he noted.

Labbadia will be tasked with leading the Super Eagles through two important qualification campaigns for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2026 World Cup.

“The Super Eagles games are upon us already; they should’ve done this long before now. He has to get used to the players and talk to them; he should’ve been doing this since early August or even late July.”

The 58-year-old succeeded Finidi George as the team’s new head coach.

Labbadia’s first match in charge will be a Nations Cup qualifier against Benin in Uyo on September 7, followed by a match against Rwanda three days later.