Nigerian former maverick footballer, Duke Udi has opined that the upcoming clash between the Super Eagles and Ghana’s Black Stars must not be taken as a ‘mere friendly match’ that can be toyed with.
Sports247 reports that the Super Eagles and Black Stars will renew the old-time rivalry that has existed between their fellow anglophone West African countries when they face off next week Wednesday during the 2025 Unity Cup four-nation invitational competition at Brentford’s GTech Stadium in London.
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Heading into the potentially explosive midweek encounter between the two former African champions, many forecasts are already rolling out from analysts, activists, fabs and other stakeholders in the round leather game.
Adding his voice to permutations ahead of the game, Udi, who was described as a controversial player during his days at Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan and with the Nigerian under-20 national team, Flying Eagles, stressed that every professional player must try to win each game they are involved in.
Udi added, “It’s not just a friendly game. As a top-class professional player, every game means a very important moment. You are a professional player because you are being paid for what you are doing. That’s why you are different from the amateur player.
“The amateur player just does it for fun, but the top-class professional player is expecting to be paid. That means you must know what you are being paid to do.”
The outspoken star, who played for FC Grasshopper of Switzerland at the height of his career, added that taking the game in London with levity would dent Nigeria’s pride and affect the country’s placement in the next FIFA monthly rankings.
Udi expatiated, “What you want to do with football is to give your best and win every game. Don’t think it’s just a friendly game. There’s nothing like that. The national team’s name and Nigeria’s name are at stake.
“They must also not forget that FIFA gives points from friendly matches when they want to categorise teams for monthly ranking positions. So, we need to win this friendly match for Nigeria to climb the ladder and be among the best in the world.”
Udi, who never had a busy career with the senior national team before hanging his boots, stressed that the Unity Cup is not the kind of competition that can be used to experiment with new players or to give those without regular playing time opportunities to make their mark.
“We have to take our friendly matches seriously. So, they should not invite players who will go there just to show their face. No!
“There’s nothing like an ordinary friendly game … a match is a match. We have to go and win. Ordinary friendlies are played on the training ground, not this kind of match. This one is competitive because Nigeria’s name is at stake,” Udi reiterated.
Sports247 gathered that the 2025 Unity Cup will begin on Tuesday, when Jamaica tango Trinidad & Tobago, with the winner going on to play the final next Saturday against the conqueror between Nigeria and Ghana at the same venue.
