“Names no longer win games” – Super Eagles attacker warns Nigeria ahead of World Cup Qualifiers

Super Eagles and Galatasaray attacker, Victor James Osimhen, has urged the Nigerian Football team to give their all ahead of their World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 26-year-old is set to lead the line for the three-time AFCON Champions when Eric Chelle makes his Super Eagles debut in Kigali on the 19th of March.

Osimhen was a part of the Nigerian team that missed out on the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and is desperate to avoid making the same mistake for the next edition of the prestigious tournament.

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“There’s a new manager now, and we are desperately looking forward to the game against Rwanda to try to correct all our previous mistakes and put ourselves in a better position to qualify.

“People say we have a talented generation, but we can only confirm this talent when we play in a World Cup like those before us. I was sad, like my teammates, to miss out on Qatar, and our fans didn’t even understand how much it affected us.

“This is why we must correct the previous mistakes by giving everything to our country, our new coach and prove ourselves as being worthy,” the Napoli loanee said in an interview with BBC Sports.

“Names no longer win matches, and you must be ready and switched on for the duration of the games. We will be playing for our country, our family names and the hopes of almost 300 million people.

“It is not the pressure that we face but the desire to not let ourselves and the country down. Playing at the World Cup is a priority, and we must make it happen this time around,” the 2023 Serie A winner concluded.

Nigeria’s All-Time Goal Scorers: Can Osimhen Catch Yekini?

Victor Osimhen is currently joint-second, alongside Segun Odegbami on the Super Eagles' all-time top scorer's list, with 23 goals from 36 outings.

Yakini leads the top-scorer's list with 37 goals from 58 games. With Osimhen's goalscoring record, he averages two goals every three games, meaning he should break Yekini's record in 21 more games.

Can Super Eagles qualify for 2026 World Cup?

Nigeria are currently 2nd on their World Cup qualifiers list, four points behind group leaders, Rwanda. A victory against Rwanda and Zimbabwe puts the Super Eagles in a comfortable spot, but those wins do not mean the battle is over.

Nigeria will need to win all of their games to be assured of a spot for the 2026 FIFA World Cup that will be hosted in America, Canada and Mexico.