The Nigeria national football team is one that has been blessed with great leaders over the years. The Super Eagles captain’s armband has been worn by some top players who have earned the right to be called captain. Ahmed Musa currently holds that mantle but questions linger over his role.
The likes of John Mikel Obi, Sunday Oliseh, Kanu Nwankwo, Jay Jay Okocha, Joseph Yobo, Stephen Keshi, and Peter Rufai, to name a few have had the privilege of leading the Super Eagles into major international tournaments.
The latest man to bear the mantle of captain is Ahmed Musa. The winger became captain of the Nigeria national football team after the retirement of John Obi Mikel, who he was vice captain to at the time.
So far Ahmed Musa has only led the Nigeria Super Eagles to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations where his side crashed out of the tournament in the round of 16 stage. He was not able to help his team reach the 2022 World Cup but will hope to lead the team into the 2023 AFCON.
The main question surrounding Ahmed Musa in Super Eagles News Cycles has been whether he should remain Super Eagles captain beyond the next tournament. Some even believe he should not be captain for the coming tournament.
All that just to call up Ahmed Musa https://t.co/vZU5dJshEj
— Life with Lampard 💔🥲 (@WidePlaymakerV3) April 13, 2023
There is no question that he deserves to be captain. When it is all said and done, he will go down as one of the greatest players to ever wear the Green and White shirt. He is the most capped Super Eagles player ever with 108 appearances to his name. You don't play that many games for your country without making a major contribution.
In his prime, he was a player that got the fans off their feet with his pace and fearless style of play. He also made fans hope and celebrate with his crucial goals in big international tournaments like the FIFA World Cup.
Playing time
For a long time, Ahmed Musa has not been seen as a starter for the Super Eagles team and he has rarely made appearances off the bench. He has not started any of the ongoing AFCON 2023 Qualifiers fixtures and has only made appearances off the bench. He has also been an unused substitute.
At club level, he is also a bit part player. His minutes for Turkish side Sivaspoor shows the current level of the 30 year old forward who has only played 348 minutes and started only three games in the Turkish League.
For club and country, his footballing ability has been deemed not good enough to make a vital contribution to winning matches.
Better players on the fringes
In terms of talent, this generation of forwards is arguably the best the country has ever produced. With the array of talent on display, the opinion of most fans is that the new generation should be given more chances.
Ahmed Musa does not pose a threat to the current crop of wide forwards like Ademola Lookman, Moses Simon and Samuel Chukwueze. Strong competition makes for better performances when players feel like their position is under threat. The national team would do with a new face that can do that.
If Nigeria qualifies for AFCON 2023, their captain might not get meaningful minutes. A changing of the guard must happen.
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago
