Dele Aiyenugba: Eagles Need for Musas Leadership

Dele Aiyenugba, a goalkeeper for Kwara United, expresses his belief in the significance of Super Eagles captain, Ahmed Musas experience for Nigerias pursuit of a fourth Africa Cup of Nations title in Ivory Coast, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.


Dele Aiyenugba, a goalkeeper for Kwara United, expresses his belief in the significance of Super Eagles captain, Ahmed Musa’s experience for Nigeria’s pursuit of a fourth Africa Cup of Nations title in Ivory Coast, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.

The 2023 tournament is set to take place from January 13 to February 11, with Nigeria confronting Equatorial Guinea in the opening game.

Prior to the release of the provisional list for the tournament, Aiyenugba is confident that Musa, a key member of the 2013 squad that secured Nigeria’s third AFCON title in South Africa, possesses the ability to inspire the team to claim a fourth title after a decade.

Musa has been absent from the national team’s recent matches since September, missing five games and hinting at the possibility of his dwindling role in the team.

Aiyenugba, aged 40, an AFCON bronze medalist in 2006 and 2010, emphasizes the necessity of Musa’s experience for the Eagles.

According to Aiyenugba, “When I joined the national team, our legend Nwankwo Kanu was not playing. He was usually subbed on but was always there as the captain. We still need Ahmed Musa on the team. It doesn’t matter if he holds a starting position or not. A leader in the team has much to offer on and off the pitch.”

He adds, “This is the AFCON, and you need the right mentality. So, when you have players like Musa who even started from Nigeria, he will be able to understand everyone’s differences and carry the entire team especially when you are having a blend of home-based and foreign-based players.”

Despite missing the last five national team assignments, Musa scored for his Turkish club, Sivasspor, in their 2-1 Turkish Cup victory against Arnavutkoy, marking his first goal since February 2022.

The 31-year-old, who scored one goal in 2013 during Nigeria’s triumph, holds the record for the most appearances as a Super Eagles player with 108 caps.


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