Vincent Enyeama has opened up on his with the Super Eagles, claiming he was treated like used material.
Two years after helping the team to the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations title, Enyeama left Nigerians in shock when he announced his retirement from international football.
He was Nigeria's most-capped player at the time, having made 101 appearances for the national team. Since he hung his boots, successive coaches have struggled to get the best pair of hands to man the goalpost.
Following his recent comments, Sports Brief takes a look at the events that led to Enyeama's retirement.
Sunday Oliseh strips Enyeama of captaincy
During his eight-month reign as the Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh decided to strip Enyeama of the captaincy claiming the goalkeeper was already considering retirement.
The incident came while the Super Eagles camped in Belgium for friendly matches against DR Congo and Cameroon.
Enyeama had arrived late to the camp having just participated at his mother's burial. Oliseh had claimed that the shot-stopper was given a special welcome and was treated to a good reception.
He told ESPN:
"We were very happy to see him. He had just buried his mum and to be honest, I didn't even expect him to be in camp. I thought he would call and say he was staying back to deal with family issues.
"We are Africans and we know that in times like this, a lot of family stuff comes up, and for someone like him, it would be even harder. So he could have been excused if he had stayed back."
Oliseh, Enyeama involved in row
At the post-dinner, the coach of the side blasted the players citing poor training, saying they lacked fire and hunger.
Oliseh then announced that going forward, Ahmed Musa, who had been acting in Enyeama's absence, is the new skipper.
It was gathered that Enyeama protested the decision and demanded an explanation, but instead, he was shown the exit door. Oliseh further explained:
"I told him that this was not the right time. That we could discuss it later. But he kept insisting loudly that he wanted to talk.
"So I told him we could either leave the hall for him, or he would have to leave. When he continued, I opened the door and asked him to leave.
"Some of the other players, Musa, [Emmanuel] Emenike, [John Obi] Mikel and [Ogenyi] Onazi were holding him and asking him to calm down. You can confirm from any of them."
Amaju Pinnick wades in
The then-NFF president Amaju Pinnick was said to have called the coach and tried to resolve the issue and allow Enyeama to remain in camp.
But the coach would not budge on his decision to strip him of the captaincy. Oliseh added:
"On three separate occasions when we talked, including before the Tanzania game, he kept talking about retirement. That was when I made up my mind to appoint a captain I could count on for the long run."
Enyeama announces retirement
On October 8, 2015, Enyeama took to Instagram to announce that he had retired from international football, leaving Nigerian fans in shock.
He said:
"I have fought a good fight for more than 13 years. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. I am out of the team."
Sports Brief earlier reported that since his retirement, Enyeama has solely faced his personal family life as well as his businesses.
The former goalkeeper disclosed that he was unfairly treated during his days with the national team.
According to the 41-year-old, he has stopped following national team football since leaving the squad more than eight years ago.
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