₦airaland Forum

Nike has unveiled our new jerseys, really nice designs especially that away kit...but the expected and inevitable question is: what tournament exactly are we wearing these jerseys for?

Karlovich:
Issa Diop finally accepts Moroccan call up just in time for the WC after turning them down repeatedly in his prime, opportunistic international mercenaries are really shameless.

How did someone with a name like Issa Diop end up with Morocco, half Senegalese?

Galatasaray is one very useless team sha, yes he gets lots of fan love from the club but Osimhen is wasting his prime years there honestly.

Chelle should have invited more of the fringe players for this mini tournament with a few mainstay players...that defence needed a Nwaiwu and Fernandez partnership to build more depth and not Bassey and Ajayi who are already established. The midfield doesn't need all the established guys, players like Nnadi, the kid at Slavia Prague (forgot his name) and one or two more new faces should have been invited.

Attack looks fine especially with Yira and Otele, but calling up Simon Moses and maybe Onuachu was unnecessary cause we've seen enough of these guys and there's nothing new or spectacular they offer at this point.

Otherwise it's a decent list..

Spainever:
Back to back world cup, Osihmen missed out . So sorry for him 😔. When 5 countries qualified we missed out and now 10 countries plus points deductions from SA we miss out . Chai June is here 🤣

Come next world cup, majority of our key players will be approaching the twilight years of their football careers, the likes of Osimhen, Iwobi, Ademola, Ndidi, Nwabali, and even Onyeka will be in their mid 30's...yes 30 is still young but in football terms, you should be in or almost past your prime at that age (except you're a CR7 with impeccable genetics and fitness). There's a world where Osimhen and Lookman might not even experience a world cup in their career, cause I don't even trust the Super Eagles and NFF not to mess up the next world cup campaign and make it a distasteful hattrick of world cup misses.

We hype these players a lot because they are easily the most media pampered generation of players we've had, yet the previous generation of Nigerian players who got more backlash from the Nigerian fans and media never failed to qualify for world cups.

BankyGee:
Victor Osimhen's new 2026 Lamborghini, worth N1.4B!

Gala funds, UCL funds, Ídolo funds 🦁❤️🔥

Football money >>> music money

Ppogbae:
Onuachu should cash out in Saudi at the soonest. There's nothing left for him to prove, unless he thinks he can have a go at top 5 european league football again.

Nah... Turkey is his pinnacle, some players are just kings of the leagues they find themselves in and can't cut it elsewhere, Onuachu should be heading to Saudi at this point in his career to cash out on his retirement money.

We play Jordan and Iran in a 4 nation mini tournament friendly fixture this month, abeg is it even safe for our players to play in Jordan with all the brouhaha going on in the Middle East?

elyte89:
Boys picking up against Jamaica 🇯🇲 😎

I join my faith and fate with this your anointing of hope make I use am blow this year 🙏🏿

BankyGee:
Alex Iwobi GOAL!
🇳🇬🦅🔥
https://x.com/i/status/2025599242715189393

That was actually a very well taken goal from a difficult angle with the goalie already closing up space, the assist was a bit delayed so credit to Iwobi for taking that well.

Good thing we have friendly matches scheduled for next month against Jordan and Iran (2 world cup bound teams). I've learned to tame my hopes about this FIFA verdict a long time ago, hopefully NFF get their shit together and sort out their contract + increased wage demands from Chelle.

Blueelf:
couldn't do it against morocco though

Which of your star players showed up against Morocco? picking on Onyedika when we had a tactical disaster that dampened the whole team is weird.

AndSunGorilla:
So when it's a tough opponent, he can't play as a CDM?

Because he's not a natural playing DM, abi na French I dey speak?

AndSunGorilla:
How was he played out of position? To be from the same position he scored a brace against Uganda?

Uganda isn't Morocco
He had a good game against Uganda because he had more time on the ball which suits his style of play...Ndidi was missed in the role Onyedika played against Morocco cause Ndidi is a destroyer, press resistant and is more physically dominant. Onyedika isn't that type of player and that was why he was overrun by the Moroccan press. Watch Onyedika in the role he plays at Brugge and you will know what I'm talking about.

Onyedika is a BALLER and is overdue for a top club move already, I know why I didn't join others to crucify him in that game against Morocco where he was played out of position.

Why do I get the feeling FIFA won't deliver any verdict on this our world cup petition but prefer to do a waiting game/silent treatment stalemate on the case till DR Congo quietly play their playoffs while we get ignored? Lol

TheSuperNerd:
Onyedika is my man but today I am for Lookman cooking Brugge and grabbing his 1st UCL goal(s) in ATM Colors. Brugges are no pushovers though.

Go, Cook Man

I thought I saw somewhere that Lookman isn't registered to play in the UCL with ATM.

BascoVanVeli:
Whatever makes u sleep at night. Like u won't go crazy if they rule in our favour 😂

Abeg free me, Self-consolation is allowed bros

Tbh if FIFA rules in favor of DRC i won't even be bothered, my excitement about this world cup drama was smothered long time ago, it even helps that the hype around the world cup isn't that exciting because of the anti-immigration politics going on in Trump's USA at the moment. Imagine getting rounded up by ICE agents and deported after attending a game to watch your national team, stadiums will be easy targets for those devils.

The news about Emmanuel Fernandez switching to Nigeria is even more exciting for me sef than this Naija vs DRC matter, let DRC go to the world cup, they haven't been to one since thr 70's and they were quite easy to warm up to during the AFCON with their iconic Patrick Lumumba moments. NFF should hide their head in shame for potentially ruining yet another world cup moment for us and use that shame to schedule top level friendly games for us. Let the boys and Chelle be busy at least.

opes:
Punch newspaper today reported that Iran football federation and NFF are already negotiating for a friendly match in March..hmmm

Maybe it's a plan B move for NFF just incase

lbrichman2:
Sometimes we even forget that Umar Sadiq is in La Liga
This life ehn..

Anyway, dude just scored a belter!!

sweet goal..
https://x.com/i/status/2023116169872290074

Umar Sadiq has mastered the art of disappearing into only God knows where and then popping up with wonder goals, a truly enigmatic player.

Barca and their kamikaze high line football, not sure if it's stupidity or sheer arrogance.

mostob:
Na wa for you o. The depth we have no do you bro? Bassey, Ogbu, Ben, Vince, Nnaiwu, Semi... And many more.

Quality wise, is Tosin better than what we have currently?

You're right sha

Karlovych:
Massive swoop for them, I believe it's due to the upcoming WC

Omo see as other African countries dey stack up with quality, meanwhile we're struggling to get jusr Ahanor or Tosin...world cup na you do this one o.

do4luv14:
Sharp Otele assist Hamburger goal

Straight to business like Lookman

Nice

ManUtd are cooking under Carrick sha, this one isn't some brief spell of managerial bounce anymore, this one feels like UTD have found gold with M.Carrick.

TheSuperNerd:
Tochukwu Joseph Ogboji (#21 for Lillestrom set to compete in the 2026 Norwegian Eliteserien season) is a left footed CB who was part of the 2022-2023 Golden Eaglets generation, some of whom have found their way to Europe.

🟢Ozor Okeke, CM - IF Elfsborg, Sweden.
🟢Abubakar Idris Abdullahi, FW - KAA Gent U23 (Challenger Pro)
🟢Umar Abubakar, FW - Famalicao (Liga Portugal), moved from Gent U23
🟢Light Chijioke Eke - Riga FC (Latvia topflight) mainly with Riga II (Latvia 2nd tier, Natkones Liga)
🟢Charles Agada, FW - NK Istra (Croatia)
🟢Emmanuel Michael, LB - LASK (Austria Bundesliga)
Precious Williams, CF - Vendsyssel FF (Denmark 2nd tier)
🟢Yahaya Lawali, RB/RM - MFK Karvina but features for Karvina B in Czech 3rd tier (MSFL)
🟢Tochukwu Ogbabido, CM - Banik Ostrava (Czech Liga) but with Banik Ostrava U19s mainly in the Czech U19 First league.
🟢Jeremiah Olaleke, CB - NK Sesvete (Croatian 2nd tier - Prva Liga).



Below is a highlights clip of Ogboji, LCB at U17 level. A lad now making his marks at Lillestrom SK, Norway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO6dy1ukI2w?feature=shared



Frame below: Tochukwu Ogboji in action for Lillestrom in 2026 friendlies.

Very impressed with this lad and I do remember he was one of the bright spots from that Nduka Ugbade U17 set, he could turn out to be another Benjamin Frederick type of discovery for us soon.

lbrichman2:
My brother
Some players are good but grossly underrated
I guess that Southampton move contributed
But under our previous coaches, he just wasn't it
Given our current system under Chelle, I don't think Onuachu will go 3-4 games without scoring, if he starts
We create chances like water now

We have a good core of young forwards like Uchenna (Augsburg), Durosinmi (Pisa fc), Otele (Hamburg), Prosper Obah (Shaktar), Akor Adams etc all in their best prime...all these players will not only score goals under a Chelle team but also provide more...there has to be a time when we end this Onuachu experiment cause it just isn't working for the national team, his level is Turkey and that's fine- he has earned himself a very decent career in Turkiye. Strikers aren't our problem, so players like Onuachu, Simon Moses etc are at best surplus to requirement.

BascoVanVeli:
Nigeria vs Senegal 2017 friendly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJydVfG7Ask?si=mMnktivx-vtvYnf2

I remember this game but not this highlight which showed we played a very good game against an ever strong Senegalese team, who was our coach here?

elyte89:
Scored on debut
Assist on debut
Against a well know team Real Betis and not against just random teams like Olomoyelespor 😅😂

Culled from twitter


Dem just Dey cook king of Seriki in turkey 😊😊😀😀

I hate to cook Osimhen cause he's still one of our best, but the fact that he went to Turkey and seems content there compared to Lookman who went for a bigger/better challenge in the La Liga with a top club like Atletico shows the difference in ambition, I don't want to say difference in mentality cause that will do a disservice to Osimhen who has an elite mentality regardless of his club trajectory.

TheSuperNerd:
I am telling you. Lookman has got 1 or 2 more APOTY seasons in him.

Today alone, he bagged a pre-assist, an assist and a Goal. All in his debut for ATM. Naaah, he is cooking. We have not seen his best yet.

Adefire 🔥🔥🔥 La Liga go collect from sunday. Ade is coming.

Omo seems I'll get me an Atletico jersey, the design and color is so clutch 🔥🔥🔥

lbrichman2:
Exactly!!
That deepens our options pool for that position

Not forgetting Prosper Obah as well.
It's time to respectfully phase out Simon Moses at this point and give these other players a chance on the wings.