Galatasaray of Turkey striker, Victor Osimhen is set to captain Nigeria’s national team for the second time at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, and it will be in their most competitive match so far, Sports247 gathered.
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Osimhen first wore Nigeria’s skipper’s band for their dead rubber last group match, when Super Eagles’ coach, Eric Sekou Chelle rotated his squad, having already qualified for the round of 16.
Osimhen could not score in that game, but had the satisfaction of seeing alternate striker, Paul Ebere Onuachu net one, while back-up defensive midfielder, Raphael Onyedika got two in a 3-1 spanking of Uganda.
While that turned out to be a routine win for the three-time African champions, Wednesday’s last-four fixture promises to be a tough nut to crack, as the Nigerian squad will be up against the competition’s hosts.
However, with Nigeria’s substantive captain for the ongoing continental showpiece, Wilfred Onyinyen Ndidi ruled out of the game on account of accumulated yellow cards, Chelle has to pick a new team leader.
That has paved the way for Osimhen, having already skippered the squad during one game of this competition and he took over the band in the dying minutes when Ndidi bowed out with injury in the quarter-final 2-0 victory over Algeria.
As it were, Osimhen is rated Nigeria’s top player of the current generation, while many previews of Wednesday’s game are also tipping him to add to his current haul of four goals at AFCON 2025 and 35 overall for the Super Eagles.
A press statement by the information department of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) added, “Two goals against the Atlas Lions on Wednesday will put Victor James Osimhen at par with Nigeria’s revered ‘goalsfather’ Rashidi Yekini.
“The Galatasaray of Turkey forward has 35 goals in 51 matches, while ‘Goalsfather’ netted 37 times in his 58 matches for country. At just 27 years of age and at the peak of his powers, Osimhen is easily tipped to score many more goals.
“He rang his bell to the universal audience in 2015, when he emerged top scorer (with 10 goals) and second most valuable player of the FIFA U17 World Cup tournament that Nigeria won in Chile that year.
“History beckons on the former SSC Napoli forward on Wednesday night, for which he will have Alex Iwobi, Akor Adams and Ademola Lookman providing valuable support, to equal the great man’s tally.”
Sports247 gathered further that Osimhen has been officially named assistant captain of the Eagles, though the trio of Moses Simon, Chidozie Awaziem and in-form midfielder, Alex Iwobi got into the team before him.
The statement added, “Iwobi, who has been extraordinary, is set to win his 96th cap, taking him closer to the century of former captain Joseph Yobo, and goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, who garnered 101. Ahmed Musa remains the man-with-the-record at 111 caps.”
