Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle must address a ‘dangerous' overreliance on Victor Osimhen, says former Nigeria international Tijani Babangida, Soccernet.ng reports.
Babangida maintains that Nigeria must not hinge their Africa Cup of Nations‘ ambitions on one player as that will not augur well for the country's ambitions of claiming a fourth continental title.
Osimhen, Nigeria’s second-highest goalscorer in history, remains the centrepiece of the national team. His 31 goals in 43 matches put him only six behind the iconic Rashidi Yekini, and his impact on the squad is as profound as it is undeniable.
With the Galatasaray striker fit, Nigeria have lost just five of 40 matches. Without him, the Super Eagles have suffered 11 defeats in 29 games, winning only nine. This stark contrast has shaped the narrative around the team’s vulnerability whenever the forward is absent.
That fragility came into sharp focus during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Nigeria failed to win any of their first four matches while Osimhen was sidelined, drawing three and losing one.
His return sparked a resurgence, scoring six goals across the remaining six qualifiers as Nigeria collected 14 of a possible 18 points. But even his brilliance could not prevent the team from falling behind South Africa in the automatic qualification race.
In the continental playoffs, the former Napoli once again inspired Nigeria, scoring twice in a dramatic 4–1 extra-time win over Gabon.
However, injury struck in the final, and after he limped off in the first half, DR Congo seized control and eventually won on penalties. The failure to qualify still stings supporters and former players alike.
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Osimhen: Babangida urges Chelle to build depth, not dependency
Babangida believes that World Cup disappointment should serve as motivation ahead of AFCON 2025, but insists that Chelle must urgently develop a system that thrives with or without Osimhen.
Highlighting his concerns in a chat with Tribal Football, Babangida said:
“It is dangerous that it appears that the Super Eagles is built around Victor Osimhen. It was when he was removed in the beginning of the second half against Congo, that the team started to struggle. That is very bad.
“The Super Eagles of my time was not built around one player. Many people have observed that Super Eagles is built around Osimhen. This is a problem that Eric Chelle must fix, if the team wants to win the AFCON. Chelle must impact this mentality to all the players, the attackers especially, that the team is not built around Osimhen. Any player given the nod to feature in any game must perform very well and play as a team.
“We need a fully fit Osimhen, but we also need a fully mentally prepared players who knows that with or without Osimhen, Super Eagles can win. Morale should be high in the team whether Osimhen is there or not. Osimhen was absent in most of the games that the team failed to win during the World Cup qualifiers.
“Super Eagles should not be in a mess, if Osimhen is injured. Chelle must address this issue because injury is part of the game. Osimhen's absent in any game should not be the end of the world for Super Eagles.”
Nigeria will face Tunisia, Uganda and Tanzania in Group C at AFCON 2025, kicking off their campaign on December 23 against Tanzania. The Super Eagles are expected to open camp in Egypt on December 15, with Osimhen scheduled to be one of the first arrivals.
