Ndidi , Osimhen or Chukweze: who is the new face of Nigeria's football?




Nigeria has been known a one of the power house of African football producing some of the continents best footballers.

Back in the days of Rashidi Gemini it was not a matter of if Nigeria will win but it was about how many goals Nigeria will score. Gemini was then the face of Nigeria football. I vividly remembered that year South Africa came to Lagos just after their freedom Gemini was on ground to do the demolition 4 - 0 it ended. At USA 1994 he engraved his name permanently in Nigeria's football history. By scoring the first ever world cup goal for Nigeria.

Also we can't forget Austin JJ Okocha as the face of Nigeria's football. His presence sends fear to the opponent even before the game starts. One game I will never forget is the AFCON game between Nigeria and Cameroon. That free kick that silenced them.

But after the exploit of these greats it was like Nigeria was no where again until recently. When we began to see the emergence of the likes of

Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Samuel Chukweze and others

But the exploits of these three has been consistent. In fact they were all in the running for AFOTY in 2019 before Sadio Mane won it

So guys who among these three do you consider as the new face of Nigeria football


Source: robosky02

1, Osimhen
2, Chukwueze
3, Ndidi.
South East/South South Amaka sha

Chukwueze

Brown Ideye is the eternal face of Nigeria football

1.


Osimhen: Why Europe’s elite are tracking Lille’s latest star


Lille unleashed Eden Hazard onto the world. They helped develop Nicolas Pépé and it was while with Les Dogues that Rafael Leão started to deliver on the hype surrounding him. When it comes to developing young, attacking talent, the Ligue 1 side know what they’re doing.

They might have struck gold once again.

Despite losing Leão and Pépé in the summer, Lille have started the 2019/20 campaign well. Currently, in third position and just four points behind Marseille, Christophe Galtier’s men are impressing once again. The feeling was this would be a transitional season for the club after a busy summer transfer window. But nine wins from 18 matches suggests otherwise.

And the star of the show happens to be one of the players signed to fill the void in the attack: Victor Osimhen.



The Lille No.7 has notched nine times in the French top-flight and he scored twice in the Champions League. He’s also chipped in with three assists to take his total goal involvement tally to 15 from 20 starts.

According to Sky Sports, a host of Premier League clubs are keeping tabs on the Nigeria international. Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are all rumoured to be interested in the forward.


Osimhen’s rise to the top has been remarkable.

The 20-year-old signed for around £11million from RSC Charleroi just a month after making his switch to the Belgian club permanent. The Nigeria international spent the previous campaign on loan and netted 20 goals. It was enough to convince Charleroi to sanction the £3million deal.



Lille acted quickly to land Osimhen, much to the delight of manager Christophe Galtier.

“He was our priority at centre-forward. He’s 20 and full of energy. He can play in behind or be present in the penalty area when we’re playing in front of low blocks. He has a profile that we no longer had.”

Injuries robbed him of an opportunity with Bundesliga side Wolfsburg. Knee ligament problems prevented him from making his debut for the Germans for four months.

His season was then cut short after he suffered a dislocated shoulder. Then, during the summer of 2018, Osimhen contracted malaria and was forced to miss pre-season.

He had trials with Zulte Waregem and Club Brugge as he looked to secure a loan move but his physical state saw both clubs pass on the opportunity. Charleroi, however, saw his potential and took the risk. The rest, as they say, is history.



After so many setbacks, he’s finally able to show the world what he’s all about. And it’s safe to say teams like what they’re seeing.

The most interesting point about his season is Osimhen isn’t running hot. Some players have momentum on their side and this results in goals. But it isn’t sustainable. However, all of the Lille forward’s underlying numbers suggest his current output can go on. Not only that, there’s room for improvement.


He’s currently averaging 0.57 goals from an expected goals (xG) return of 0.56. However, elite forwards tend to outperform this metric meaning Osimhen, so long as he maintains these averages, could well improve his actual output down the line.

The 20-year-old is averaging 3.5 shots per 90. On one hand, this shows he relies on volume to be at his effective best. That can be portrayed as a negative because he’s not clinical.

However, the fact he’s getting so many shots per game shows his intelligence and his desire to get into good, dangerous areas. The very best in the world work on averages like this, with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane and Lionel Messi all averaging in excess of four shots per 90.

Osimhen is landing close to 40 per cent of his efforts on target while also managing 6.37 touches in the opposition box. The latter stat is telling. Reliable goalscorers tend to have a high number of touches in the penalty area. It also highlights their composure. Last season, Pépé was averaging just 4.5 touches in the box which hinted at him being a counter-attacking forward, one who relied on space. The Lille No.7, however, doesn’t need perfect conditions to be at his effective best.

Making a move for the forward in January would be premature but if his form continues for the entire season top tier clubs will be entertaining the thought of making Osimhen the latest big-money Lille export.

Ndidi ofcourse....

chiefolododo:
Brown Ideye is the
eternal face of Nigeria football

Iro Akabueze ni

2
Wilfred Ndidi
Wilfred Ndidi: The Top-Tackling Defensive Midfielder

In the two full Premier League seasons that Wilfred Ndidi has featured in, he has finished as the top tackler on both occasion


During the 2016/17 campaign, having joined the Football Club in January 2017 from Belgian side KRC Genk, Ndidi completed 68 tackles in just 17 appearances.

His first five months in England were eventful to say the least. It was on 3 January that the Foxes confirmed he was set to join the Club, and just four days later, he lined up alongside fellow Nigeria international Ahmed Musa against Everton at Goodison Park.

It was Musa who sealed safe passage into the next round of the FA Cup for City, who afforded Ndidi 90 minutes of playing action. He was in fine shape having played for Genk as recently as 27 December in a 2-0 success over Gent.

The appearances continued to flow, with his first goal for the Foxes coming in a 3-1 cup win against rivals Derby County, before a display of then manager Claudio Ranieri’s faith came on 22 February, when the Nigerian, aged just 20, started the first leg of City’s UEFA Champions League Last-16 tie with FC Sevilla.

Expand photo Wilfred Ndidi
The Nigerian's first few weeks at Leicester City saw him play in the UEFA Champions League for the Club.

Under Craig Shakespeare, Ndidi remained in the side and played his role in six successive victories in all competitions, including the brilliant 2-0 win over Sevilla in the second leg to reach the quarter-finals of Europe’s most prestigious club tournament.

He went on to score two more goals, including a stunner against Stoke City, and eventually amassed 48 appearances for Genk and Leicester City combined in 2016/17.

His first full season in England resulted in him playing 33 times in the Premier League, where his 138 tackles left him 21 clear of Everton’s Idrissa Gueye, now at Paris Saint-Germain, and 25 ahead of former Fox N’Golo Kanté.

The 2017/18 campaign was a hugely important one for Ndidi, who not only excelled for the Foxes, who he also ranked highly for in clearances made (95), aerial battles won (117) and recoveries (296), but also represented Nigeria at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Expand photo Wilfred Ndidi
Wilfred Ndidi's 2018 FIFA World Cup campaign with Nigeria saw him come up against Lionel Messi's Argentina.

In the glorious green and white colours of the Super Eagles, Ndidi’s performances for City earned him a starting place in all three of Nigeria’s group games against Croatia, Iceland and Argentina.

In Kaliningrad, Ndidi’s nation were beaten 2-0 by eventual finalists Croatia after Peter Etebo’s own goal was added to by a penalty from Luka Modrić, but they were given hope after earning all three points in their second group game.

A superb brace from City star Musa, who later that summer joined Saudia Arabian side Al-Nassr, handed Nigeria a 2-0 success over Iceland in Volgograd, meaning a win against Argentina would guarantee progress to the knockout stages.

However, Gernot Rohr’s side, despite drawing level after a Victor Moses penalty cancelled out Lionel Messi’s opener, conceded a second goal with four minutes to play after Marcos Rojo volleyed home.

Expand photo Wilfred Ndidi
The 23-year-old rounds off the scoring in Leicester City's biggest home Premier League win - a 5-0 success against Newcastle United at King Power Stadium in September 2019.

Ndidi’s World Cup campaign with Nigeria came to an end, but the experience he gathered stood him in good stead ahead of City’s 2018/19 season in the Premier League.

The Lagos-born midfielder was once again a star man for the Foxes in England’s highest tier of professional football, as he finished the campaign with a Premier League-high of 143 tackles – one more than Gueye and 14 more than Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Fellow Fox Ricardo Pereira, meanwhile, completed 118 dispossessions, finishing fourth in the Premier League’s rankings for tackles made.

Further international involvement followed for Ndidi in the summer of 2019, when he featured in all seven of Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations fixtures en route to the semi-finals, where Riyad Mahrez’s Algeria – the tournament’s eventual winners – emerged victorious after the former City winger scored a 95th-minute free-kick in Cairo.

Expand photo Wilfred Ndidi
The Nigeria midfielder headed in an equalising goal at Stamford Bridge in August 2019.

At the age of just 22, Leicester’s No.25 had already played for two teams at the highest level, and had represented his country at the World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations against some of the most gifted players on the planet.

His impressive form has continued this term, where he currently sits third in the tackling charts with 91 to his name, despite missing six of City’s 29 matches.

He is only eight behind Manchester United’s Wan-Bissaka, while City team-mate Ricardo leads the way by 20 with 119 tackles.

In addition, he has made 61 interceptions and 194 recoveries, and has won 181 duels and 59 aerial battles in 2019/20.

Expand photo Wilfred Ndidi
This campaign, he has completed 91 tackles in 23 Premier League appearances.

Perhaps his most apt moment came in just the second game of City’s season, when after making a rare mistake that led to Mason Mount’s opener for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, he powered home a header in the second half to restore parity and redeem his error.

His statistics since moving to the Foxes place him among some of the Premier League’s most accomplished players, and under Brendan Rodgers, he has continued to flourish.

“He’s given me a wider view of where this is supposed to go to make me even better,” Ndidi said of Rodgers in a recent interview in LCFCQ Issue 11. “The statistics are okay, but I can be better than that – that’s the way I can explain it.”

chiefolododo:
Brown Ideye is the eternal face of Nigeria football

No, it's Yellow Idnose.

SAMUEL CHUKWUEZE

The Barcelona legend claims the 20-year-old is a star in the making; nonetheless, he must do more in front of goal
Samuel Eto’o has described Villarreal’s Samuel Chukwueze as an incredible player but wants him to work on his goalscoring abilities.

Chukwueze was snapped up by the Spanish top-flight team from Diamond Football Academy thanks to his impressive outing where he helped Nigeria win the 2017 Fifa U17 World Cup in Chile.

There, he was named third-best player behind Johannes Eggestein and compatriot Victor Osimhen.

Having impressed for Villarreal’s reserves in the third tier, he was promoted to the senior team – making his debut in a Europa League game against Rangers – as manager Javi Calleja brought him in as a 79th-minute replacement for Nicola Sansone.


He made his league debut on November 5, 2018, playing every minute in a 1-1 draw against Levante. Since then, he has been a regular in the Yellow Submarine setup - while accentuating his importance to the team with eye-catching performances which got him among last year’s Golden Boy 40-man shortlist and also earned him a call-up to Nigeria’s senior national team.

Samuel Chukwueze Nigeria South Africa

The 20-year-old was part of Gernot Rohr’s Super Eagles team that finished third at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations – scoring his maiden goal in the 2-1 defeat of South Africa in the quarter-finals.

When asked about what the future holds for the in-demand player, the four-time African Player of the Year underlined the Nigerian's quality but tasked him to step up in terms of scoring goals.

“He is an incredible player who is growing in leaps and bounds and it’s just a matter of time,” Eto’o told Goal.

“He is a quality player and he needs to score more goals, but he has the quality and ability to be more than just a goalscoring forward. Once he gets all of that he will be top.”

Chukwueze PS

Chukwueze has recorded three goals in 26 La Liga appearances for Villarreal this season, with his latest strike coming in a 3-1 home defeat against Celta Vigo in November 2019.

Although he is reportedly attracting plenty of admirers across Europe, the Nigeria international would be hoping to help Calleja’s men end the season well in the Spanish top-flight.

Osimhen is the man of the moment ...Ndidi is the unsung hero

lexyman:
Osimhen is the man of the moment ...Ndidi is the unspoken hero

Ndidi

Why are the women always left out
None of them are worthy to clean Oshoala's shoes.

They are both all still loading.......

They both all have a bright and beautiful future ahead of them.

We will give any of them the accolade the day they make us proud by winning a Trophy for our darling nation.

Till then, still loading.....

ghettokid1:
1, Osimhen
2, Chukwueze
3, Ndidi.
South East/South South Amaka sha

I know one senseless human will go tribal on a sport thread.

Ndidi for me, Chukweze did well in one or two matches in nation cup and then refuse to show again.

They've all done well but the comparison is ill at this moment of their career.
They are still prospects in their rights.

Young and promising lads

I don't see a face in any of them, maybe a bit of Chukwueze

robosky002:
Ndidi , Osimhen or Chukweze: who is the new face of Nigeria's football?

Nigeria has been known a one of the power house of African football producing some of the continents best footballers....

Naturally the most talented and entertaining gets to be the face of the team so it has to be Chukwueze.

Nigeria's football don't have a face yet, you need to consistently perform at the very top level with several individual accolades to be the face of a nation like Nigeria.While a case may be made for Ndidi, his position as a defensive midfielder rarely brings the glamour that is commonly associated with a creative midfielder or attacker

ghettokid1:
1, Osimhen
2, Chukwueze
3, Ndidi.
South East/South South Amaka sha

At least they are not doing fraud

That Ndidi is just extra ordinary...

He can mark, he can make accurate pass, he can score.

One of the best Midfielder currently in EPL.

Abeg he is undisputed

Osimhen

Humanoid01:

No, it's Yellow Idnose.

Ndidi

Damnnnnn niggarrr
Isoright
After some years now
We will realise those three are nothing but overrated dumb fuckkk

Osimen .
Strikers and attacking midfielders always have a higher visibility than other players .
Ndidi comes a close second for , as he is more effective for both club and country .
Chukwueze is like a rough diamond that still needs polishing .

chiefolododo:
Brown Ideye is the eternal face of Nigeria football

u don mental?

Ndidi is a Rock...

Neat tackles, Timely interceptions and Swift buildup of Attacks...

He's like an Anchor, A Beast of No Nation...

Respects!!!