Ekong lauds Osimhen’s leadership in Super Eagles squad

Super Eagles of Nigeria defender William Troost-Ekong has commended the leadership contribution of Napoli’s Victor Osimhen to the men’s national team.

Despite netting only one goal in seven matches for Nigeria at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), plaudits—especially from his teammates continue to trail Osimhen’s contribution to the squad—with the latest coming from the team’s stand-in captain and Best Player of the Tournament: Ekong.

Ekong in a conversation with Soccernet’s Lolade Adewuyi said he has been a longtime admirer of Osimhen ever since he came onboard as an underling to Odion Ighalo.

“I am a fan of his [Osimhen],” Ekong told Adewuyi.

“I saw his journey when he came to be a part of the Super Eagles in 2019, as an understudy of Odion Ighalo. I saw how hard he worked.

“He is a leader in our team, and I tell him that ‘everybody is watching you. The way you play, it drives all of us,’” said Ekong. “I just try to remind him how important he is and I think he understands that role now and what he means to Nigeria as a person and as a football player.

“I’m sure that he’s going to be a captain of the Super Eagles in future, that’s my wish for him. And for him to win the Afcon and be the leader in that moment.”

25-year-old Osimhen is currently the third-ranked player in the Eagles’ all-time highest goal scorers chart with 21 goals in 35 appearances.

The 2023 CAF Player of the Year is two goals behind second-placed Segun Odegbami (23 goals in 46 caps) and 16 goals behind the county’s all-time highest goalscorer Rashidi Yekini (37 goals in 58 caps).