Super Eagles and Genk forward, Tolu Emmanuel Arokodare, was emotional and in tears after he came on play his first minutes in the green colours of Nigeria, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 24-year-old has been one of Nigeria’s highest goalscoring strikers in Europe this season. He’s found the back of the net 19 times and provided fives assists across all competitions for Thorsten Fink’s side this season.
Arokodare got his maiden Super Eagles call-up after Eric released his final 23-man squad list ahead of Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, and his debut wasn’t far off.
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Victor Osimhen scored a brace to give Nigeria a 2-0 win over the Amavubi of Rwanda at the Stade Amahoro in Kigali. The Galatasaray forward was jaded towards the end and was replaced by Arokodare, who shouldered up the attacking responsibilities in a somewhat defensive style, ensuring the game ended with no silly mistakes.
After the game, the former FC Koln striker broke down in tears in the locker room, overwhelmed by indescribable emotions after the weight of his accomplishments hit him. Watch the video here.
A teary-eyed Tolu Arokodare after making his Super Eagles debut!✨
Emotional moment
T.E.A Time!!
Video credit – @boniface_jrn‘s Snap pic.twitter.com/uSFFSUnWl5
— Official AGT⚽️ (@Iam_agt) March 21, 2025
Away from Arokodare’s moment of self reflection, the rest of the players in the squad were in celebratory mood after sealing the first win of their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers campaign.
Locker room . The mood we want to be in after every remaining game in the WCQ pic.twitter.com/8Lg6YBZ6N2
— Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) March 21, 2025
Nigeria will now travel back to the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium as they prepare to welcome the Republic of Zimbabwe on Tuesday.