Adegboye Onigbinde took Nigeria to the World Cup. He died Monday at 88.

Adegboye Onigbinde died Monday, confirmed by his family. He was 88.

He was the man who guided the Super Eagles to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea. Nigeria's last appearance at a World Cup before 2014. He did it coaching a squad that runs on brilliance and prayer more than infrastructure, in a federation that runs on politics more than football.

That's the thing about Onigbinde. He was technical in a system that rewarded connections. Disciplined in an environment that rewarded noise. He took the job when he could have turned it down, built something real with limited tools, and delivered.

Nigerian football has always asked its best people to do more with less than any reasonable system should require. Onigbinde answered that ask. That's worth naming on the day we learn he's gone.