The quartet of Victor Osimhen, William Troost-Ekong, Alex Iwobi, and Stanley Nwabali has been singled out as ‘the only true battlers’ in the Super Eagles’ current squad.
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The commendations for Osimhen, Iwobi, Ekong and Nwabali come despite recent condemnation of the Eagles’ lack of dedication and shoddy attitude being shown by the players towards national team matches.
However, in contrast to all of that, ex-international winger, Jide Oguntuase opined that Osimhen, Ekong, Iwobi and Nwabali stand out with their fighting spirit during matches for Nigeria, hence his decision to use them as a reference point for changes in the team.
Although many critics have floored Iwobi’a performances in recent matches with the Eagles, while Osimhen was severally scolded for his rant against the team’s immediate past coach, Finidi George, Oguntuase opted to name them among his most committed national team players of the current generation.
He also hailed Ekong for his exploits as stand-in captain and cited the heroics of Nwabali, who excelled at the Africa Cup of Nations, despite being a newcomer to the squad.
Oguntuase then scolded all other players in the team, with a view that Nigeria would be able to get better results if the stars put in extra effort while donning the green-and-white jersey.
The former Golden Eaglets and Flying Eagles winger slammed recent laxity by the players and declared: “That was not how we played for this country.
“We played for this country with the last drop of our blood; but that is not the way these boys are now playing. If you see us on the field of play, we are ready to die.
“We see this in Osimhen, Ekong and Nwabali. Look at those three players. When they put on the green white green, they are ready to die.
“Iwobi is also ready to die; but it’s different with the rest. Look at their last match (which they lost 2-1 to Benin Republic). A player dodged his head from a ball that was coming to him, and it resulted in a goal. It’s a big shame.
“If you bring in Jose Mourinho or (Carlo) Ancelotti and these boys go on with that same silly attitude, we still can’t win.”
Oguntuase concluded with a call for better efforts from all players in the Eagles, so they will complement one another, to put Nigeria’s World Cup 2026 hope back on track when the qualifiers resume next month.
