“I need my flowers” – Unretired Super Eagles forward reacts to past pitch tussle with Eric Chelle

Enyimba International FC forward Brown Ideye has reacted to a picture showing him competing on the same pitch with the current Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Malian, recently announced by the Nigeria Football Federation as the new coach of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations champions, has drawn mixed reactions from the Nigerian football community.

A photo that surfaced online shows Ideye and Chelle in action during one of their Ligue 1 encounters in the 2010/11 season.

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The two players were involved in a match between Sochaux and Lens 15 years ago, where they were captured battling for possession of the ball.

Reacting to a post shared by an X (formerly Twitter) user named Chukwuemeka, the former Málaga forward commented, “I need my flowers.”

I need my flowers.. https://t.co/I6eEkJgWYs

— Brown Aide Ideye (MON) (@brownaideideye) January 9, 2025

Ideye, who last featured for the Super Eagles during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Zambia, had been widely assumed by fans to have retired from international football.

However, in a recent conversation with Channels Television, the now-Enyimba player clarified his stance and expressed his readiness to return to the national team.

“For sure, I will jump on it because I’m not retired from international football yet. So why not? If I get called up to represent my country, I’m going to honour the invite, for sure,” he said.

With Chelle’s immediate assumption of duties as Super Eagles coach, it remains unclear whether Ideye will be considered for a return to the national team or if the former Lens defender will stick to the usual Super Eagles lineup.