Odion Ighalo has reportedly joined John Mikel Obi in retiring from international football, reports Completesports.com.
Mikel announced his decision to stop playing for the Super Eagles via a message on instagram on Thursday afternoon, and Ighalo has followed in the former skipper’s footsteps in a move that will shock handler of the side, Gernot Rohr.
Ighalo who plays for Chinese club, Shanghai Shenhua, Completesports.com, learnt has reportedly informed Rohr of his decision, and the coach has accepted it in good faith.
The 30-year-old has always been a subject of intense criticism from Nigeria fans despite his impressive goal rate for the Super Eagles.
Ighalo received several abuse after the Super Eagles’ exit from the 2018 FIFA Word Cup in Russia, but was persuaded by Rohr to keep playing for the national team.
He finished as top scorer in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series with seven goals.
The former Watford striker is in the race to scoop the top scorer award of AFCON 2019 after scoring five goals in seven appearances for Nigeria.
Senegal’s Saido Mane and Adams Ounas, his two closest challengers have scored three goals each.
Ighalo scored 16 goals in 35 appearances for the Super Eagles.
By Adeboye Amosu
39 Comments
Good to end up in a high note. I wish u well Ighalo
Welcome back Tgrace. I missed you.
Ighalo, well don. You don do your own. Enjoy your retirement
I am sad to hear Ighalo is retiring after about 4 to 5 years with the Super Eagles. I expected he stays after 2022 World Cup. I wish he reconsders his decision!
He Left while the ovation is loudest
Great hero. You have done well for our Country. May God be with you Ighalo. I’m very proud of you my man. God bless Nigeria!!!
Best of luck Bro ighalo,i will miss u much,God bless u
I hope ighalo’s critics are now happy ba?
Now they should bring in so called better strikers let’s see, it’s the same people who were shouting onuachu onuachu, he has played and failed woefully. Bunch of internet coaches!!!!
Osihmen and Henry
As far as I am concerned, the SE performed beyond my expectations at this AFCON and Ighalo is arguably one of the best strikers in Africa at the moment. No matter what many naive people says, records don’t lie. Highest goals scorer at qualifier and then main competition. Also at club level irrespective of club name. Before the tournament, Egypt was the favourite because of the qualities of their players especially Salah and the host nation capacity but where are they now? Even Mane who recently won champions league with Salah could not score a single penalty goal. We may not be happy that Nigeria did not win the AFCON but many have forgotten that this is the first extended version of the AFCON and you have to win more games before you can win it. At the last AFCON we won, we didn’t win more than we won this time and no Nigerian striker scored more. If I also ask many people here to predict the scoreline of a match between Nigeria and an unknown football playing country like Somalia in any Nigerian stadium coached by any of your favorite coach today, am sure many will even say 10-0. But I bet you SE can’t beat them more than 2 goal difference. This is to show how football has changed in Africa and it is expected to change more with the new CAF rules. Cameroon had similar high expectations for Seedorf and Kluivert just because they won the last AFCON but football in Africa has changed massively in last few years. Dont kill yourself if we dont even qualify for the next AFCON because there are no minnows any more.
Ighalo if Nigerians don’t appreciate you, the world does.
Much love.
Odigba o
You are right on bro. Thanks for this. It really broke my heart that he had to end it this way. I could imagine the kind of emotional pain he must have been through. We are all human, anyone can flop but what matters most is to show love to people even when they don’t live up to our expectations.
Good man..
You have done well
Akpeyi please retire
Ogu join as well
I am speechless. What going on Nigeria football. Ighalo you not yet professional. Little critism you retire , you fall my hand .
Enough is enough please concentrate in club football and make more money before your retirement. Am really sad to read your sudden retirement. You are not appreciated by most of the fans despite your commitment in few years you played top football in national team color. Victor Moses premature retirement was as a result of criticism he received during the world cup. We seem to forget so soon past records especially after a disappointing campaign. Am proud of you and support your decision. May God be with you in all your endeavors.
16 goals from 33 matches. that’s a great stat from Ighalo.
With much respect to the retirement duo of Ighalo and Capt Mikel but i see this as a blessings in disguise to the Super Eagles. Osihmen the mantle has been passed to you and I pray you grab it with both hands by taking your chances and keep training hard because Nigerians will only love you when you score!
And with regards to the midfield we are done and dusted left for the players to go to their clubs and keep it up.
Am happy ighalo chose to retire as a hero it is better this way, on like Mikel who could not influence the game against Madagascar. Thank you ighalo for those happy moment you have given to all super eagles fans back here in Nigeria.
With Osihmen I believe the future is bright for the super eagles.
What i love most about Ighalo is his quick decision making on and off the pitch. Great respect to you man, God bless you. If the colours of white and green ceases to keep you clean, the world will never never stall to wash it.
Nigeria should not tell any player to rescind retirement decision especially Ighalo. Any player that has aversion for criticism needs not to don National Team jersey, moreso he’s not a professional. Ighalo retirement will open doors for other players.Nigeria is bigger than anybody,so be it for Ighalo .
I kind of feel sad at the rate at which footballers now retire prematurely from the SE – Victor Moses, Mikel Obi, Odion Ighalo. Who else? Ahmed Musa? Leon Balogun? Has the SE become an U23 team? Where’s the experience? Was that how Yekini, Siasia, Amokachi, Amunike, Babangida, Keshi, Okocha, Kanu, Oliseh retired — at young ages?
We all knew that when the golden 94 set won the Afcon that year and went on to dazzle the world at USA 94, they had all peaked and matured, most of them older than the current ages of Igalo and Mikel. Why do Nigerian fans push these guys to the wall? Even Igahlo’s wife was not spared the attack in the aftermath of that miss in the match against Argentina at Russia 2018.
Of course, we need youth and energy, but no one can buy experience in the market. You have to patiently earn it! Who are the experienced team members in the SE at the moment, besides Ahmed Musa? Who’ll wear out Number 9 shirt now? Do we have any RIPE candidate? Odey and Osimhen are still green. They should be backups, not starters yet. Hmmm…. I hope Rohr too don’t abandon ship and we don’t suddenly find ourselves struggling with Kenya, Lesotho and Sierra Leone.
Ahmed Musa should take that responsibility to play as striker for the team.The strikers we have tried so far have not impressed I think Musa should take that responsibility until someone is ready.
@Kel,Ighalo is at least 35yrs,don’t feel too sad pls.
@Greenturf are you thinking what I’m thinking?Over the years watching Musa’s lightning speed,playing as a nmba 7 or 11.Then I see how he makes runs off the ball and how he calmly takes his goals. I think that our nmba9 has always been with us. I like to conclude that Musa is a cold-blooded assassin in front goal. He can jolly well play down the middle and we would enjoy his use of space,timing,blistering pace and his eye for goal. If we pause a while and look down the years,we should see that, it’s a beaut for our captain to play as a nmba9.
It’s not even much of a risk sef.He’s not even a winger that hits it from far like Ronaldo or Mane sometimes, secondly we are currently blessed with pacy and skillful wingers so it’s not like we would miss Musa much if he vacates the wing. That guy Musa is a born goal scorer,all those runs he makes from the wing and midfield even makes him miss some goals. I believe if you save him that stress and put him up top,even Holland with Van Dijk would be afraid of the SEagles.
Two things that can work against this:
1]Qatar.How would the skipper of my team be in Qatar? No disrespect to an football-ambitious nation like Qatar (after all dey beta pass us),but there is no way Musa will be tested against the best there. The best are not in Qatar to be frank. Even in the nations cup,it was obvious Musa wasn’t as fit as he could be,the weight gain was obvious.It just that he’s unrelenting,in effort.
2]Philosophy. If we know what philosophy entails, then we know that it is something that is “unchangeable”. Yeah, even when it changes it takes a lot of effort. Mr Rohr has a mould for his nmba9. I have said here before,if Rohr had Ruud Van Nisteroy and Olivier Giroud,to chose one as striker. He won’t even think before choosing Giroud. It’s how philosophy works, it’s not that Ruud is not brilliant, or Osimhen,Awoniyi,Onyekuru,Musa are not brilliant.Only Odion fits his philosophy and I trust you can see how he is similar to Giroud. They are not fast,but they are physical,etc. I have no problem with a philosophy, if you find the players for it. He didn’t, that’s why he overworked Ighalo and that’s the major reason the young man is nursing injury now.
Well Mr Pinnick alluded to having disagreements with Rohr during this nations cup and will promptly send him to Bayern Munich.I hope it will help him.
But I know Musa can deliver through the middle.
Ehen……..e don shele! We never appreciate what we have, UNTIL IT IS GONE!!!
Enjoy your retirement, Ighalo. You served Nigeria well, though under appreciated. Best wishes in your future!
Well,it’s been nice doing business with you Sir Ighalo. One thing stands out in your game- that fearlessness. You embodied what Rohr believes a number 9 should be,that’s good fortune for a man who started his senior team career rather late.You have ample goals to show for your efforts.
I don’t know whether,you are retiring because of critisms.Sound critisms shouldn’t kill your joy, afterall truth be told,you deserve to be criticized abeg.
So if you can’t take it on the chin,well thanks and farewell.
For me I think overall, this man has shown great commitment to this team and I believe he’s calling it quits because,of his body,the stress. My roommate and best friend that year in the University was friends with Ighalo,they were classmates in Secondary School in Lagos.So I know that Ighalo is definitely way above 30yrs. I think,the young man knows his body and in the interest of safety he wants to rest. That’s not a bad thing.
I thank him for his valiant efforts through these years.
I wish him well.
I am gutted Ighalo has retired.I can understand Mikel’s retirement but not an Ighalo who has upped his game and unarguably the best finisher in Africa at the moment,though very unlucky in competitions.
only a fool dont aprct wat ppl do,tru fans ar profesioner,gud r bad to d end,cos tmrow de do beta,hatas crit & kidnap moda fada u say de shud not retire.
Wish you all the best Ighalo, criticism is one of those things, even world best messi get criticized. But the feeling is not easy though
By the way, complete sport why una carry our comments likes na, that thing make sense abeg, bring am back o
Omo9ja and dear Followers, Hope you are super excited now?? And hope to see the Magician 9 you want. The Brazilian Ronaldo and Samuel Eto that you want in the Super Eagles, we’ll see.
Obviously Ighalo retired due to HEAVY CRITICISMS from fans(Evil fans to me). The craziest part is the guy has retired and they are still after him tagging him as “Unprofessional” cuz he retired due to there Criticisms. You don’t know the value of what you have until you loose it. Assuming Ighalo and his family were not attacked by Aggrieved fans, he still has till 2021 with the Super Eagles. Now we’ve lost him!
Now my worry is, What do you guys think is going in the head of Ahmed Musa and Balogun right now?? I just pray and hope it not what am thinking cuz Nigeria will pay dearly for it if it is what is going through my mind. Maybe after that, we will learn lessons to stop attacking a player, his family after a bad game
Tammy Abraham is coming back….
Rohr and Akpeyi please retire abeg una.
Akpeyi should be 33 yes.
He should retire otherwise we shall retire him.
Ighalo we thank u for your efforts.
U have made the best decision to leave the scene she the ovation is loudest.
Oplz I beg u let no body change ur mind on this decision.
Stay retired plzzzz.
Musa, ogu should be retire too plz.
Mikel the boss.
U be my real guy
Any time any day.
U do river for us well too small.
I hail u.
God bless u
@Iszy, you can go and sack ROHR yourself. Enemy of progress! You will never see good in anything. The funniest part is you want someone way below ROHR to take over from him. The likes of Amuneke, Obuh and those noisy Nigerians who will use collection of bribes to destroy the team.
For your info, Rohr is staying. If you are not OK with that, you can go on and take a shot of SNIPER
Thanks Ighalo for serving your fathers land. You are appreciated.Odey, okereke, awoniyi, and others is time for u now to step up and be counted.
Ighalo, you are the real hero of our time. Nigeria, as a Nation and its people. shall never forget you. Your name and your scoring abilities shall remain indelible in the hearts of Nigerians for a generation.
Millions of Nigerians today considered themselves extremely lucky that they witnessed your attributes by their own eyes.
On personal level, I can only say to you, THANK YOU FOR THE JOY YOU GAVE ME.
@kel
Because there performance has dwindled.
The 94 set were performing and improving from 1990 to 2000, but for Abacha diplomacy, we would have won the 1996 , 1998 and 2000 Afcon. They were simply the best in Africa then.
What i love most about Ighalo is his quick decision making on and off the pitch. Great respect to you man, God bless you. If the colours of white and green ceases to keep you clean, the world will never never stall to wash it.
Ighalo truly you are the best striker in the super eagles and in Africa at the moment. We appreciate your efforts in the super eagles. You are too young to retire now. Don’t allow criticism to force you to retire. You have proved to the fans that you are the best.
Criticism should be expected in any high-levelled profession. Live wit it ighalo,and up ur game the more.Ur country still needs u.The no of fans dat appreciate ur efforts are greater.