Nwabali names Osimhen and former Arsenal and Chelsea stars among Nigeria’s top five football greats

Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has revealed his list of the top five Nigerian footballers of all time, Soccernet.ng reports.

Three-time African champions and 1996 Olympics gold winner, Nigeria have produced a host of outstanding talents who have represented the homeland with pride in some of the world’s most competitive leagues.

From the English Premier League to the Italian Serie A, the French Ligue 1, the German Bundesliga, the Spanish La Liga, and beyond, Nigerian stars have left their marks.

The legendary talents are so many that it is often difficult to pick the best of the lot.

However, in an interview on Metro FM's Sports Night Amplified, hosted by Andile Ncube, Chippa United keeper Nwabali made his top five picks of Nigeria's greatest footballers of all time.

Nwabali's list included familiar icons like former Bolton Wanderers and PSG star Jay-Jay Okocha and iconic Arsenal hero Nwankwo Kanu.

The 28-year-old goalie also named former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel, as well as legendary Lille shot-stopper, Vincent Enyeama, widely regarded as Nigeria's best-ever goalkeeper.

Interestingly, Nwabali also included current Super Eagles striker and reigning CAF Footballer of the Year, Victor Osimhen, marking the younger forward as one of Nigeria’s all-time greats despite his relatively recent rise to fame.

Nwabali’s connection to Osimhen goes beyond admiration.

Both players were instrumental in Nigeria’s journey to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final in Côte d'Ivoire, with Nwabali impressing in his debut tournament for the Super Eagles.

Nwabali narrowly missed out on the tournament’s best goalkeeper award, which was claimed by South Africa’s Ronwen Williams.