Former Cameroon defender Rigobert Song has asserted that Super Eagles stars Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen are not world-class players, Soccernet.ng reports.
Song, who is an icon of African football, made his name playing for Cameroon and various top clubs in Europe.
He was a key part of the Cameroonian squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2000 and 2002. He also made the Team of the Tournament in those editions, as well as in 2006.
The 49-year-old has since gone into coaching following his retirement from active football in 2010. He has had stints with the Cameroonian national team, Chad, and most recently, the Central African Republic.
Song was highly celebrated during his playing days, but his recent comments have sparked controversy among fans.
In a recent interview, he was asked to rate several players currently at AFCON 2025 as either “world-class” or not, and he shared some controversial views.
Song rated players like Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Wilfried Zaha, Bryan Mbeumo, Mohamed Salah, Riyad Mahrez, Amad Diallo, Omar Marmoush, Ronwen Williams, Ally Samatta, Patson Daka, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and even himself as world-class.
However, he stated that Nigerian stars Lookman and Osimhen do not belong in the “world-class” category.
Watch Rigobert Song Say Victor Osimhen And Ademola Lookman Aren’t World-Class
Are these AFCON players world class?
Rigobert Song has his say pic.twitter.com/K2aafjsoo6
— ESPN Africa (@ESPNAfrica) December 26, 2025
Why Rigobert Song’s Opinion of Osimhen and Lookman Isn’t Logical
Among all the players that Rigobert Song was asked to rate, only Aubameyang, Mahrez, Salah, Hakimi, Lookman, and Osimhen have won the CAF Player of the Year.
All others have never won anything or done anything worthy of note for club and country in the course of their careers.
Also, Osimhen is easily among the top five strikers in the world by form and class. Lookman is also a top winger and was on the radar of many top clubs just last summer. Recall how he singlehandedly won the UEFA Europa League for Atalanta two seasons ago.
While Song is an African football icon, his verdict on the players he was asked to rank should not be taken seriously.