When Gernot Rohr was dismissed as Super Eagles coach in December 2021, the Nigeria Football Federation claimed it was a move to “forestall disaster.” Fast forward to the present, and the irony couldn’t be sharper.

The 72-year-old Franco-German, now in charge of the Benin Republic, has engineered a World Cup qualifying miracle. With limited resources and a squad made up largely of players from modest leagues, Rohr has racked up four wins and 14 points, placing the Squirrels second in Group C — ahead of Nigeria. To twist the knife deeper, it was Rohr’s Benin who inflicted Nigeria’s only qualifying defeat, a 2-1 triumph in Abidjan.

Meanwhile, Nigeria — “giants of Africa” in name only — have stumbled under three different successors: Jose Peseiro, Finidi George, and now Eric Chelle. Collectively, the trio have managed just two wins in the qualifiers, with their 11 points leaving the Eagles struggling to keep their World Cup hopes alive.

The contrast is jarring. Rohr, the coach Nigeria deemed not good enough, is flying with Benin. His pragmatic, disciplined style is squeezing results out of a team without superstars. Nigeria, boasting the African Player of the Year and Europe-based talents, continues to look tactically lost, burdened by instability and poor planning at the top.

This unfolding drama has stirred a wave of nostalgia among Nigerians. Once criticized for being “too cautious,” Rohr is now being reappraised as the steady hand the Eagles sorely miss. His tenure delivered stability, World Cup qualification in 2018, and nearly another in 2022. In contrast, his successors have only brought turbulence and underachievement.

With the qualifiers heating up, the ultimate twist could come in Uyo, where Rohr’s Benin may stand between Nigeria and their last hope of reaching the 2026 World Cup. For the Super Eagles, it is a sobering reminder that sometimes, the stone you reject becomes the cornerstone elsewhere.