Russia 2018 should be the watershed when Nigeria joins the sextet of global footballing powers

[1] By now, most Nigerian football fans are tired of our Super Eagles "trying" at the World Cup. For a nation of 180m souls, it is time we join the ranks of the big boys

[2] For me, the big six are Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, Spain and France

[3] Of the 20 times the World Cup have been played, these six teams won it 17 times

[4] Do you know that there has never been a World Cup final played not involving one of these six teams?

[5] Brazil hosted the World Cup in 1950 and lost in the final to Uruguay. Up until that time, Brazil was really a nobody in world football but they were so hurt by losing the final at home that they threw everything into it and eight years later in 1958, they had a world beating team

[6] For decades, Spain were described as bridesmaids, also-rans, dark horses, etc. I remember watching them when they hosted the World Cup in 1982. Spain did not look like a team that could ever win the tournament but 30 years later in 2010 they did. It took them a while but eventually they did

[7] Nigeria first graced the World Cup in 1994. Come the next World Cup that will be 24 years. I think it is long enough to get our act together and start challenging for the prize

[8] As things stand, our progress is in reverse gear. We are no longer producing dozens of players in La Liga, The Premiership, Le Championet, Serie A, Die Bundesliga, etc as we used to do in the 1990s. Why has the production of top talent suddenly dried up?

[9] It is totally unacceptable for the Super Eagles not to have at least five world class players at every point in time. How can Argentina with a population of 45m, Spain with a population of 46m and Italy with a population of 60m produce world class players non-stop and we cannot. Nigeria's population is greater than that of all the three countries combined

[10] By any standards you want to use, Nigeria should be Brazil's biggest challenger. Every year, Brazil producers one mercurial playmaker in the form of Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Robinho, Neymar, Coutinho, etc. We last produced a player of this calibre with JJ Okocha. Totally unacceptable. Even in goal, Brazil has produced the world most expensive goalkeeper with Ederson costing £35m. Time to wake up Nigeria!