Former Super Eagles striker Jude Odion Ighalo has thrown his weight behind Victor Osimhen as the ideal candidate to captain Nigeria ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco, following the retirement of William Troost-Ekong from international football.
Troost-Ekong’s decision to step aside, despite being named in the provisional squad weeks before the tournament, has left a leadership vacuum in the national team and sparked debate over who should wear the armband.
With several senior players in the squad, including Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi, Moses Simon and Chidozie Awaziem, many observers have tipped Ndidi as a likely successor.
However, speaking in an interview with veteran football journalist Colin Udoh, Ighalo explained why he believes Osimhen stands out, stressing that his choice has nothing to do with age or seniority.
He noted that there are players older than Osimhen in the team, but leadership, in his view, goes beyond years of service.
“Victor, I will give you my reason why, not because he is the oldest player in the team, because there are people ahead of him. Simon is older, Ndidi, Iwobi, I think Awaziem, so there are people ahead of him,” he said.
Ighalo described Osimhen as outspoken, fearless and capable of demanding accountability both on and off the pitch—qualities he believes are essential for the demanding role of Super Eagles captain.
According to the former Manchester United striker, Ndidi is naturally calm and reserved, while Osimhen has the personality to speak up for teammates, motivate the squad and confront difficult situations when necessary.
“Because now Osimhen is doing well and he is in his time, he has the balls to demand. Ndidi is not the talking type. Ndidi is very calm, but Osimhen is outspoken; he is going to speak on behalf of the team,” he explained.
“He is going to ginger the boys. You see in games sometimes he will say ‘come on’; sometimes you see him talking loud. He is going to fight for the boys. He is going to speak to anybody he needs to speak to, to make sure they are okay.”