Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa and his vice William Troost-Ekong have been selected in Nigeria’s 25-man squad for the forthcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (2023 AFCON), to be held in Côte d’Ivoire next year.
Musa and Ekong have been overlooked by Nigeria head coach Jose Peseiro for the team’s last couple of games but having made the 40-man provisional list released earlier this month, the Portuguese has now included them in his final selection for Africa’s showpiece event.
Musa who plays his club football in Turkey with Sivasspor is a surviving member of the AFCON title winning side of 2013 alongside another Turkey based player Kenneth Omeruo who has also been selected in Nigeria’s final squad.
Reigning African footballer of the year Victor Osimhen will eventually have the opportunity of leading Nigeria’s attack at a major tournament with his selection but there is no place for France-based Terem Moffi.
Osimhen played second fiddle to Odion Ighalo in his previous AFCON appearance in Egypt 2019 while the Napoli striker missed the 2021 tournament in Cameroon in January 2022 due to injury.
Leicester City duo Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho will also attend another AFCON tournament but Portugal based Kelechi Nwakali and Belgium based Alhassan Yusuf have been omitted by Peseiro.
Chippa United goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali and Enyimba captain Olorunleke Ojo will have the chance to represent Nigeria’s senior team in a major tournament for the first time after their selection by Peseiro.
All the 25 players will depart from their different bases on Tuesday, 2nd January to fly into Abu Dhabi, capital city of the United Arab Emirates, for a one-week training camp that will last until Tuesday, 9th January. The team will fly back to Lagos on Tuesday 9th January, and then fly into the Ivorian capital, Abidjan on Wednesday, 10th January.
The Musa-led Super Eagles, in their quest for a fourth AFCON title, will take on Equatorial Guinea on Sunday, 14th January in their first match of Group A, before further clashes with host nation Cote d’Ivoire (18th January) and Guinea Bissau (22nd January).
Nigeria, who will be participating in the Africa Cup of Nations for the 20th time, were champions as hosts in 1980, triumphant in Tunisia in 1994 and crowned winners in South Africa in 2013.
When Cote d’Ivoire hosted the finals in 1984, a young Nigerian squad led by the inimitable Stephen Keshi went all the way to the Final, before losing to much-experienced Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in a memorable Final at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan.
NIGERIA’s FINAL SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United, South Africa); Francis Uzoho (Omonia FC, Cyprus); Olorunleke Ojo (Enyimba FC)
Defenders: Olaoluwa Aina (Nottingham Forest, England); Chidozie Awaziem (Boavista FC, Portugal); Bright Osayi-Samuel (Fenerbahce FC, Turkey); William Troost-Ekong (PAOK Salonika, Greece); Bruno Onyemaechi (Boavista FC, Portugal); Kenneth Omeruo (Kasimpasa FC, Turkey); Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion, England); Calvin Bassey (Fulham FC, England); Zaidu Sanusi (FC Porto, Portugal)
Midfielders: Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge, Belgium); Joe Ayodele-Aribo (Southampton FC, England); Frank Onyeka (Brentford FC, England); Alex Iwobi (Fulham FC, England)
Forwards: Ahmed Musa (Sivasspor K, Turkey); Victor Osimhen (Napoli SC, Italy); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Sadiq Umar (Real Sociedad, Spain); Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France); Ademola Lookman (Atalanta FC, Italy); Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan, Italy); Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany)
