Ighalo picks Victor Osimhen to captain Nigeria at AFCON

Following the retirement of Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong, former Super Eagles forward Odion Ighalo has settled for forward Victor Osimhen to replace him as the captain of the side.

The Super Eagles are preparing for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco and coach Eric Chelle is yet to announce the replacement for Troost-Ekong, who is part of the squad in camp.

According to Ighalo, Osimhen could be the right man for the captaincy role because he is currently doing well and will demand the best from the Super Eagles players.

Ndidi is not the talking type

“There are several players ahead of him (as senior players), but now Osimhen is doing well and he has the balls to demand what the team wants,” said Ighalo as quoted by ESPN.

“Ndidi is not the talking type, he’s a very calm guy, but Osimhen is outspoken, he is going to speak on behalf of the team, he’s going to ginger the boys, he’s going to fight for the boys, he will speak to anybody he needs to speak to make sure they are okay.

“The captain job is not easy because your neck in on the line, because whatever the boys demand it’s you that will put it forward to the NFF. And if NFF want to come for anybody, they are coming for you because you are the captain.”

Ighalo added: “With Osimhen, he will speak and nothing can happen because he’s the biggest player in the team, so they won’t want to look down on him, they will listen to him because he’s doing well. When you’re doing well, you have every power to demand for stuff and he’s in that position.

“He has the character to step up and demand for the team because when you see him he is hustling, he’s showing it on the pitch and so you as a player will listen to him and also fight for the team.”

In Morocco, Nigeria have been drawn in Group C alongside Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda. They will kick off their campaign against Tanzania on Tuesday at Fez Stadium.

⚽ Follow Pan-Africa Football across platforms for real-time news and stories.