Super Eagles star breaks silence after injury nightmare as Nigeria absence reaches 1,345 days

Super Eagles midfielder Peter Oghenekaro Etebo has spoken publicly for the first time after the toughest season of his professional career, Soccernet.ng reports.

Etebo admits that neither he nor his club ever want to experience another campaign like the one they endured.

The 30-year-old Nigerian midfielder is preparing for a fresh start with Turkish club Gençlerbirliği after a season that was dominated by injuries and a tense fight against relegation. His absence from the Super Eagles also stretches to 1,345 days as injuries have interrupted a once promising international career.

Gençlerbirliği spent much of the 2025-26 Turkish Süper Lig season battling to avoid relegation. The Ankara club entered the final day knowing defeat could send them down but they produced a big result, beating Trabzonspor 3-0 at Papara Park. The famous victory secured their place in the top flight and condemned Antalyaspor to relegation.

Etebo, however, was unable to play a meaningful role in the survival fight. A ruptured Achilles tendon suffered during training ruled him out for almost the entire season, while muscle problems later slowed his rehabilitation.

His only competitive appearance came on August 9 when he started against Samsunspor before being substituted after 42 minutes in a 2-1 defeat. He finished the campaign with just one appearance, 42 minutes played, no goals, and no assists.

Super Eagles star Etebo reflects on difficult year

Speaking before the start of the new season, Etebo admitted the previous campaign tested everyone at the club.

“No one wants to experience the difficulties we faced last season,” the Super Eagles midfielder said as per Sporanki. “We are continuing our preparations accordingly. If we want to remember last year, we left behind a very complicated season with many coaching and presidency changes and elections. But no matter what, we managed to stay in the league, even if it was in the last match.”

Etebo also spoke passionately about the club's proud history while urging supporters to remain patient as the team begins another campaign.

“My message to the fans is this; of course I know they don't want us to succeed. Last year was a difficult year. But when you look at it, there's a 103-year-old club here. A club with a tremendous history, a club that has been successful and is hungry for more success. But, of course, it's up to us, the players, to make it happen. I promise we will do our best. Of course, we'll see together where we are at the end of the season.”

While Etebo focuses on club football, Nigerian fans still remember his contributions in the green and white shirt. He has earned 44 senior caps for the Super Eagles and built a reputation as a hard-working midfielder. Although he has not featured for Nigeria in more than three years with his last contribution coming during Super Eagles friendly defeat against Portugal in November 2022.

Still, Etebo's place in Nigerian football history was secured long before his injury setbacks. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, he became the first Nigerian player to score four goals in a single Olympic match, inspiring the Dream Team to a thrilling 5-4 victory over Japan on their way to winning the bronze medal.

He was also one of the standout midfielders at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, starting all three group matches under Gernot Rohr. Before establishing himself with the senior national team, Etebo won the 2015 CAF Most Promising Talent Award after finishing as the top scorer at the CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations.