Afternoon in Beijing, August 23, 2008. The thermometer inside the bird’s nest showed 42 degrees. Samson Siasia’s “Olympic Eagles” lost 1:0 to Argentina inspired by Lionel Messi in the gold medal match. 89 102 people watched. Eighteen years later, Nigeria’s 2008 Olympic team has gone in every direction imaginable.
| Beijing 2008 | At a glance |
|---|---|
| The final | Argentina 1:0 Nigeria, August 23, 2008 |
| Location | National Stadium (Bird’s Nest), Beijing |
| Purpose | Angel Di Maria, 58 minutes, from Messi’s pass |
| Coach | Samson Siasia |
| captain | Isaac Promise |
| Semi-final | Nigeria 4-1 Belgium |
| The result | Silver medal |
Forty-two degrees and a chip
No one had played in the afternoon before. It was Siasia’s first point since the final, and he put it bluntly: “Since we started this tournament, no team has actually played in the afternoon. It has affected both countries and most players have not been able to perform at their level because of the heat.”
The referee stopped the game twice for drinking.
Nigeria started brightly. Peter Odemwingie tested the Argentine keeper from a free-kick in the sixth minute and forced Isaac Promise to save with a header, but in the 58th minute Di Maria put a perfectly sized ball past Messi to curl over the keeper.
Victor Obinna scored the equalizer five minutes later. He hit the goalkeeper directly.
It was a rematch of Atlanta in 1996, the day Nigeria became the first African side to win gold in Olympic football. Diego Maradona was in the stands. The Nigerian players then happily posed with him, wearing silver medals around their necks.
This time, Argentina took revenge.
Staff, then and now
Siasia went to China without John Obi Mikel and Taye Taiwo. 10 of his 18 players came through the under-20 team that lost to Argentina in the World Cup final. Odemwingie was the only player over the age of 23. If no recent public record of the player’s activity has been found, the last column is left blank.
| Player | Position | Club 2008 | Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ambrose Wanzek | GK | Akwa United | |
| Chibuzor Okonkwo | DF | Bayelsa United | |
| My Lord | DF | nice | |
| Dele Adele | DF | Sparta Rotterdam | |
| James on Monday | DF | Bayelsa United | |
| Chinedu Obasi | FW | Hoffenheim | |
| I know Kaita | MF | Sparta Rotterdam | |
| Victor Obinna | FW | Kyiv | Football commentator and analyst |
| Isaac Promise | FW | Trabzonspor | He died in October 2019 at the age of 31 |
| Solomon Okoronkwo | FW | Hertha Berlin | |
| Oluwafemi Ajilore | MF | Groningen | |
| Olubayo Adefemi | DF | Hapoel Bnei Lod | He died in April 2011 at the age of 25 |
| Peter Odemwingie | FW | Lokomotiv Moscow | An expert, now an avid golfer |
| Efe Ambrose | DF | Kaduna United | Still playing for Port Glasgow |
| Viktor Anichebe | FW | Everton | A businessman who took over a club in England |
| Emmanuel Ekpo | MF | Columbus Crew | |
| Ikechukwu Ezenwa | GK | Ocean Boys | Retired |
| Inhaler mixture | MF | Boavista |
The two gone
Olubayo Adefemi lost control of his car on the Egnatia highway in northern Greece in April 2011 while driving to complete wedding ceremonies; he was 25 years old and was a player for Skoda Xanthi at the time. Beijing captain Isaac Promise collapsed in his apartment gym in Austin, Texas in October 2019. He was 31 years old.
Microphones, golf clubs and meeting rooms
Obinna, who missed a 63rd minute chance, now offers commentary and analysis on the game. In May 2026, his advice to Viktor Osimhen was clear. According to him, move to a club that can seriously fight for the Champions League.
Odemwing, who has vowed to pursue coaching badges and a degree after hanging up his boots, also played golf, and he still takes to Instagram to review the Super Eagles’ performances, hailing a goal against Algeria in January as “classic Alex Ferguson”.
Anichebe, the Everton bulldozer of 2008, went the farthest from the pitch. His bid to buy National League side Gateshead in March 2025 never materialised. By September 2026, he was reported to be part of a group that took control of League One club Bromley through investment company Lumira Group. No deals have been announced.
Exile in Siasia and Scotland
Efe Ambrose never left. He called Celtic. A long streak of Scottish clubs followed.
At the age of 37, he joins Port Glasgow in the seventh tier. His reason is simple: “Every day I get a chance to play football, I will use it.”
Siasia’s path has become worse. The Court of Arbitration for Sport banned him for life in 2019 for match-fixing involving Wilson Perumal; this sentence ended in August 2024. By then, he had won Olympic bronze from Rio in 2016 with Beijing. His name came up again this April for the Olympic Eagles job. However, in June, the National Sports Commission handed over the reins of the Under-23s to Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle.
What it means for Nigerian football
This was to be the generation that entered the Super Eagles and stayed there for ten years. Ambrose won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and played at the 2014 World Cup, Obinna went to three Nations Cups and unheralded backup goalkeeper Ezenwa is still the only one in the Russia 2018 squad. Many also left the team for 2018.
The silver in Beijing was a start that never turned into a mediocre one.
This article was last revised and updated 3 minutes ago