Super Eagles: 5 Nigerian stars who picked Lionel Messi as the GOAT

Several Super Eagles icons will feel a little nudge in their chests when the news trickle in of Lionel Messi's decision to end his Argentina international career, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Argentina legend's decision will bring fresh attention to one of football's longest debates: is the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner the greatest player ever?

The debate has split fans for years, with Cristiano Ronaldo often named as Messi's main rival. But five Nigerians who played at the highest level have given Messi their vote. Their reasons are not based only on goals or trophies. They point to his control, dribbling, creativity and ability to change a game with the ball at his feet.

The group includes Super Eagles icons Jay-Jay Okocha, Joseph Yobo and John Obi Mikel, current Nigeria midfielder Alex Iwobi, and 1970s legend Segun Odegbami. Each saw Messi from a different angle, from facing him in major games to watching his career develop over more than 15 years.

Their opinions also carry weight because they know what elite football feels like. Okocha played at three World Cups and won Olympic gold with Nigeria in 1996. Yobo played 100 times for the Super Eagles and faced Messi at three World Cups. Mikel spent 11 years at Chelsea, while Iwobi faced Messi during his first Champions League start.

Messi, the all-time great: Super Eagles icons who agree

Jay-Jay Okocha: Messi is “on another planet”

Okocha's choice was almost instant when the Messi-Ronaldo debate came up on The Obi One Podcast, hosted by Mikel and Chris McHardy.

“Messi, Messi. Ronaldo is a special player, but he is for me a goal scorer. He can score 10 million goals. He is a goal scorer. It’s like (Erling) Haaland. Haaland is a goal scorer.”

Okocha then explained why goals alone do not decide his choice.

“Messi is on another planet. Messi is an art. Messi was born to play football. He’ll get ill if he doesn’t play football. He’s a genius. I mean, you have to give it to him.”

That view fits Okocha's own career. The former Nigeria captain built his reputation on flair, close control and dribbling. At Bolton Wanderers, he made 124 Premier League appearances, scored 14 goals and supplied 11 assists. He also won the Premier League Player of the Month award in November 2003.

Joseph Yobo: Messi could become “invisible”

Yobo's verdict comes from direct experience against Messi. The former Everton defender faced Argentina at the 2002, 2010 and 2014 World Cups. The last of those meetings ended in a 3-2 defeat for Nigeria, with Messi scoring twice in Porto Alegre.

Yobo said he would choose Messi ahead of Ronaldo.

“I have played against him [Messi] a couple of times and knew that he was one player who could become invisible when he was there,” he said. “Ronaldo, we have to also give him credit because he built himself to who he is today. I played against him in England; he wasn’t the Ronaldo of today.

“But Messi, people have seen his talent from when he came on board. So, he is a special player. Messi, basically, is a genius. He is just a genius.”

Yobo also raised a question that says a lot about Messi's impact.

“I don’t know if in football we would see another player like Messi in many years to come. I hope so. Another fear that I have is: when Messi and Ronaldo leave the stage, what happens to football?”

Yobo finished his Nigeria career with 100 caps, 10 World Cup matches and an Africa Cup of Nations title in 2013.

Alex Iwobi: Messi had a “radius” around him

Iwobi's view came from one of the most memorable nights of his young career. His first Champions League start came at Camp Nou against Barcelona, where Messi, Neymar, Luis Suarez, Andres Iniesta and Dani Alves were all on the pitch.

“I always say, Messi.”

Iwobi added: “Playing against Ronaldo, the aura was crazy,” he said.

“But when I played against Messi, every time he had the ball, there was like a radius where no one could enter that and tackle him.”

Barcelona won that game 3-1, with Messi, Neymar and Suarez all scoring. Iwobi has since built a long Premier League career with Arsenal, Everton and Fulham. The Premier League lists him with more than 300 appearances in the competition.

John Obi Mikel: “Messi is from a different planet”

Mikel did not need much time to make his choice either. He played against both Messi and Ronaldo during his Chelsea career and saw the different problems they created.

“I’m a Messi fan,” Mikel said in 2023. “When we played against [Manchester] United when Cristiano was there we knew Ash (Ashley Cole) would deal with him. He is capable of dealing with him. I know the comparison is there but because I've played against both and Messi was close to me when we played against them. But for me, and I'm not going to say miles because of what Cristiano has done as well, but for me, I really don't see the comparison. I just think Messi is from a different planet. I just think he is that good.”

Mikel's Chelsea career included 372 appearances and major trophies such as two Premier League titles, the Champions League and Europa League. He also played a key role in Chelsea's 2012 Champions League triumph.

Segun Odegbami: “Messi is a god”

Odegbami's description was the most dramatic. In a Vanguard column, the former Super Eagles captain wrote:

“Lionel Messi. Can a tree make a forest? In his case, he can,” Odegbami wrote.

“Messi is a god! He is the only player in the world now who plays completely freely, without guidance and as economically as he chooses on the field.”

He added: “He walks and struts as he pleases, with an occasional sudden burst of dangerous speed… Planning to mark him has been a challenge for opposing managers. Messi is treated with reverence on the field by his team.”

Odegbami's words came during the 2026 World Cup, where Messi's Argentina campaign again put his influence at the centre of the tournament conversation.

Across five generations of Nigerian football, the verdict is strikingly similar. Okocha sees an artist, Yobo sees a genius who can disappear from a defender's view, Iwobi felt a protective space around him, Mikel sees a player from another planet, and Odegbami sees a footballer who can make one player feel like an entire team.