“I can’t wait” – In-form Super Eagles striker hungry for debut under Chelle

Newly invited Nigerian striker, Toluwalase Emmanuel Arokodare, is buzzing to make his Super Eagles debut after he was invited by Eric Chelle ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 24-year-old has scored 19 goals for his club side, Genk, across all competitions this season and is third amongst Nigeria’s highest goalscoring strikers in Europe, just behind Cyriel Dessers (22) and Victor Osimhen (26).

Arokodare found the back of the net as his side sealed a 2-1 win over Victor Boniface‘s former side, Union St-Gilloise, and wants his confidence to continue with the Nigerian National Team.

Genk’s Tolu Toluwalase Arokodare celebrates after scoring during a soccer match between Sporting Charleroi and KRC Genk, Friday 28 February 2025 in Charleroi. [Photo Credit/ Imago].

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“It’s always good to help the team with a goal. That’s my job, but the three points are the most important. The atmosphere afterwards in the dressing room was great. You should take a look at my socials.”

“Sometimes it may have looked like we didn’t try hard enough, but we’ve now shown what we’re top for. The confidence with us was great, and we were motivated after the result in the previous match (4-0 defeat in November),” the 6ft6in-tall striker said in quotes revealed by Voetbalnieuws.

Tolu Arokodare celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 1-0 during the Jupiler Pro League match between KRC Genk and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise on March 15, 2025 in Genk, Belgium. [Photo Credit/ Imago].
Quizzed about how he feels about the long-awaited call-up to the Super Eagles squad, the former FC Koln striker was ecstatic.

“I still don’t know how to feel. It’s a mix of only great feelings for my family and me. I can’t wait to put on that shirt,” Arokodare concluded.

Tolu Arokodare during the match between KRC Genk and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise on March 15, 2025, in Genk, Belgium. [Photo Credit/ Imago].
Arokodare, alongside Osimhen and four others, have arrived at the Super Eagles training camp in Kigali, and he’ll be hoping to make his debut when Nigeria take on Rwanda on Friday.

Adefolahan Guerreiro

Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria. With a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience. He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.

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