- A former Super Eagles star has failed to name Victor Osimhen as the most important player during the World Cup qualifiers
- The AFCON winner identified a player who scored an important equaliser for the country during an encounter
- Nigeria are gearing up to face Gabon in the 2026 FIFA World Cup playoff on November 13 in Morocco
A former Nigerian international has shared his candid opinion on the most important player during the World Cup qualifiers, notably excluding Victor Osimhen.
Without the Galatasaray forward, Nigeria struggled in their first four matches, losing to Benin Republic and managing just three draws.
Those poor results led to the termination of Jose Peseiro’s contract and the subsequent resignation of Finidi George.
Source: Getty Images
Victor Osimhen later returned from injury to score a brace against Rwanda at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, securing Nigeria’s first win and surpassing the legendary Segun Odegbami as the second-highest goal scorer in Nigeria’s history.
The Galatasaray forward proved once again why he is considered one of the best strikers in the world, finding the net against the Warriors of Zimbabwe in a 1-1 draw at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium last March.
Osimhen, however, suffered an injury during the return leg against Rwanda, though Nigeria still managed to secure a narrow victory thanks to a lone goal from Tolu Arokodare.
The former Napoli star later provided an assist in Nigeria’s 2-1 win over Lesotho before capping off the qualifying campaign with a stunning hat-trick against Benin Republic in the final match last October, per BBC.
Ambrose names most important player
Celtic legend Efe Ambrose has picked Calvin Bassey as the most important player in the current Super Eagles squad during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
According to Owngoal, the former Kaduna United player explained that the Fulham defender has been in top form since the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), where Nigeria finished second.
Source: Getty Images
The 37-year-old said Bassey played all 10 qualification matches in group C, and never had a problem despite pairing with different players. He said:
“I don’t think he ( Bassey) has had a bad game for the Super Eagles since the last AFCON. In the World Cup qualifiers group stage he played all of the games and paired with three separate players in all of the minutes.”
Defenders are more important – Ambrose
2013 AFCON winner Efe Ambrose said defenders are not respected enough despite doing their job on the field of play.
The Glasgow United player emphasised that Calvin Bassey is not getting the accolades he deserves from the fans and technical crew: He said:
“To me he isn’t getting the respect that he deserves because his job is not to score goals like Victor Osimhen but to stop them. So with all due respect to Osimhen, the playoff is like a cup tournament and you need defenders much more than you need forwards.”
Meanwhile, Calvin Bassey netted the equaliser for Nigeria in their 1–1 draw against South Africa at the Free State Stadium, last September, per Sofascore.
Chelle reportedly submits squad to NFF
Legit.ng earlier reported that Chelle has reportedly submitted a strong squad ahead of the World Cup play-off against Gabon, scheduled for November 13.
The NFF advised Chelle to expand the list from his usual 22-man squad to 25 to accommodate players who will be earning their first cap for the Super Eagles.
Source: Legit.ng
