The Atlanta Olympics, 1996. Nigeria's U23 squad — featuring Nwankwo Kanu, Nwenwere, Jay-Jay Okocha and Daniel Amokachi — played six games and won gold. That bare fact does not capture what they achieved.
They beat Argentina 3-2 from 2-0 down in the semifinal, in one of the greatest Olympic football games ever played. The comeback took eight minutes. Kanu's winner came in the last seconds of extra time. The footage still does not feel real.
But the real story is what happened before Atlanta. The team nearly didn't go. The Nigerian government threatened to withdraw the squad over a political dispute with the International Olympic Committee. Players had begun packing for home when a last-minute diplomatic intervention saved the tournament entry.
When Kanu lifted the trophy on that August afternoon, he was playing two months after being diagnosed with a life-threatening heart condition. He had been told he might never play football again. He played anyway, scored in the semifinal, and won gold.