Last week, the head coach of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, Éric Sékou Chelle, released the list of 28 players who will represent the country at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The coach is heading into the tournament, which will be played in Morocco, with the aim of achieving a major success after Nigeria failed to qualify from the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Some notable players left out of the squad include Ahmed Musa, Umar Sadiq, Maduka Emilio Okoye, Alhassan Yusuf, Ola Aina, Victor Boniface, Terem Moffi, among others.
Among the players selected by Chelle, there are five who have never represented Nigeria at senior level before. This decision has generated mixed reactions, with some people criticizing the move while others have praised him for introducing new talents.
The five new players are defender Ryan Alebiosu; midfielders Ebenezer Akinsanmiro, Usman Muhammed, and Tochukwu Nnadi; and forward Salim Fago Lawal.
Nigeria will play their opening match against Tanzania on December 23.
