Victor Osimhen has said Raphael Onyedika deserved more recognition after the midfielder played a key role in Nigeria’s 3-1 victory over the Cranes of Uganda.
Onyedika grabbed a brace for the Super Eagles in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Group C encounter.
It was the midfielder’s first start of the competition for the three-time African champions.
Nigeria took the lead through Paul Onuachu in the first half.
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Onyedika then took centre stage in the second half with two fine strikes.
“Onyedika has been one of our best players and most of the time, he doesn’t get the hype he deserves,” Osimhen told reporters.
“He is really a talented player. For the kind of performance he put in against Uganda, I think he deserves to be in the spotlight.
“It’s not about me, its not about the Super Eagles, its all about him because he has done so well and he deserves to be in the spotlight.”
9 Comments
Osigoal is very honest because we all knew this from his Champions league performances.
One of our best players sits on the bench all because of “Seniority” and nothing more.
Incredible…..!!!
We will learn the hard way eventually.
Onyedika is still 24. Ndidi, officially, is 29. At most, he still has 2 solid years for the Eagles, who will play less number of games each year, compared to club games. I think the reason why he was made captain is to give him the feel of it in his “football life”. He knows 2030 world cup is way beyond his reach.
Onyeka too at 28 is in the same boat as Ndidi.
Onyedika should instead keep improving.
All other things being equal (since CAF fell to Europe), he still has 3 afcons and “multiple nations leagues” (whatever CAF means by that) to feature in.
Nigerians and their love of seniority! A 24 year old at the peak of his physical fitness and performance, is being benched for a 29 year old who is at declining peak fitness and performance.
Can you compare 24 year old Ndidi to today’s 29 year old?
At 22, Ndidi was being touted as one of the best in the premiership! That season at Leicester, Ndidi won 11 of his 14 tackles, a feat bettered only by Chelsea’s N’Golo Kanté.
At 29, no premiership club wanted him and he then left for Turkey.
Nigerians clearly don’t understand that physical performance follows a normal curve where peak fitness for a footballer is 22-26 years old.
It is not civil service, the older a player the more his declining physical fitness.
To ask players at their peak fitness and performance to sit on the bench despite consistently outstanding performances is a typical Nigerian type of madness. When do you want to play him? When he’s 40!
Lol @Sly this ur logic sha. So if the likes of Lamine Yamal, Caicedo etc. Nigerians they won’t even smell U23 not to talk of Super Eagles.
Lol. You don’t think our feeder teams are being “destroyed” without a purpose? I remember when you and several persons here touted many names that should have a look in over the years. How many were invited let alone broke through? If not for that unity cup, Fredricks world have still been “unknown”.
Wetin you want make I write again? Feeder teams especially golden eaglets have been zero lately. Olympic eagles have been non existent. Under 20 that used to be very prominent live for exposing mostly “old men” that fizzle our after the championships.
That’s why eagles have been that “stable” and uninspiring. Competition for places, which I dare say, was “unexpected” by the coaching crew when they made 8 changes against Uganda just created a problem for them.
But somehow, they will resort to the familiar when push comes to shove.
Good thing is that Chelle has exposed the depth of talent in the team that bodes well for rebuilding.
Rohr, Eguavoen, Peserio, Finidi stuck with the too much “known” over the years so I thought there was Mafia in the team since they were scared of change.
I reckon Chelle ultimatum by NFF made him to tweak his squad, knowing that a squad depth of eagles, he won’t find it elsewhere, except maybe CIV.
Onyedika should “keep improving” while he’s on the bench, so that by the time Ndidi is 32, Onyedika’s football would have plateaued and his best years past him.
What a way to maximize the true potentials of our players.
Many people forget Ndidi was one of those who failed MRI before the U17 AFCON of the 2013 set. Even those who passed MRI from the 2013 set have all burnt out today….name them….from Iheanacho to Awoniyi to Success to who else…? They are all burnt out. But guess what, we chose this time to guarantee Ndidi a starting shirt in the SE…..LMAOooo.
Back in 2013, CAF used MRI Grade 6 testing, meaning you could be 25 and still pass the test, compared to now that CAF uses grade 4. That Ndidi failed the MRI then means he was probably 10 year older than 17 at the least. So whoever is still seeing that lad as a 29yr old must be naive. Why dyu guys think he starts escorting opponents to our goal or fouling them needlessly as from the 70th minute of games.
Give Onyedika a run of 5 straight competitive games in the SE if we would not forget we ever had Ndidi.
We will be meeting either of DRC/Algeria, Morocco, Cameroon/SA very soon. This pretender you guys call a coach should once again line up only Iwobi and Ndidi in midfield against them in his rustic diamond formation as he has been obstinately doing.
The “keep improving” part I made is because I see our national team as one that fiercely rewards “loyal players”.
Ideally, a team that consists of largely the same players that failed to qualify for back to back FIFA world cup should have been disbanded and cut off – for a pharaoh that doesn’t know Joseph.
Here we are, with several players with football age still in the team and “pretending” to be repentant but subtly eyeing 2030 qualification.
The glass house that I know, if Onyedika doesn’t have a “strong godfather”, will soon prop up a different “understudy” midfielder instead of him
If he is still gun a blazing as the years go by, he will not be ignored for too long.
Without captain band, Ndidi hardly missed a national game; now, that would be “fiercely” up in the tempo.
Some quarters even have said he’s put no foot wrong in the AFCON so Onyedika should bid his time.
We are a nation that appears to sink or swim with loyal players.
I personally think Ndidi is a very good player and gives the team balance. He and Iwobi has a good understanding of their roles. I don’t have a problem playing Onyedika in that Ndidi role as well however if we are to use the same metric to judge Ndidi ( age) , shouldn’t we judge Iwobi as well with d same metric. Both Iwobi and Ndidi are both 29yrs old, if Onyedika should replace Ndidi, why not also replace Iwobi with Fisayo Dele Bashiru since both are younger and more of goal threats than Iwobi and Ndidi. We should be fair with our assessment of these players. Can anybody say Ndidi and Iwobi haven’t been fantastic in d 2 matches they’ve played at this afcon? I think the approach the coach should take is based on how the match is going, if we need more presence and energy in our midfield, we can introduce Onyedika and Dele Bashiru for Ndidi and Iwobi at the 60th minute. I think Onyeka should always be present as a 3 man midfield like in d game against Tunisia. This way we will be fresh and still not lose our shape wen we approach the crucial 70-75mins since these 2 (Ndidi and Iwobi tend to tire out around dat time). We can always introduce Nnadi or Akinsanmiro for Onyeka around the 75min mark to refreshen tinz up. Mind u, Onyedika wasn’t too fantastic against Egypt in the friendly game prior to the afcon, he was average at best imho. Just my tots.