Former Super Eagles coach and ex-Juventus star Sunday Oliseh has questioned the continued leadership of Ahmed Musa as Nigeria’s national team captain, Soccernet.ng reports.
Musa, who holds the record for the most caps in Nigerian football history, has served as the Super Eagles skipper since John Mikel Obi’s retirement in 2019.
But Oliseh insists it is wrong to have a national team led by a player who barely features on the pitch.
Ahmed Musa under scrutiny?
“This I want to call an anomaly, and it started when we started having on-the-bench-sitting captains,” Oliseh told Channels TV in a frank assessment.
“You can’t have that, you can’t have your captain sitting on the bench.
“In other words, you are saying it is an assistant that is leading the team. Super Eagles’ role is the most important in Nigerian football.”
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Since assuming the captain’s armband, Musa has led Nigeria to the 2021 and 2023 Africa Cup of Nations but saw little to no action in either tournament.
At those two tournaments, former Watford defender William Troost-Ekong was the de facto on-pitch leader, wearing the armband throughout most matches while Musa remained an unused substitute.
After missing out entirely during the year 2024, Musa was recalled by new head coach Eric Chelle for the Unity Cup friendlies in June.
He made a brief appearance as a substitute against Ghana, as Nigeria defeated both the Black Stars and Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz to lift the friendly tournament title.
Chelle, who was appointed in January, has so far enjoyed an unbeaten start to life as Super Eagles boss, including two wins at the Unity Cup. He has earned praise for giving opportunities to Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) stars and fringe players, showing a willingness to refresh the squad.
Still, uncertainty looms over whether Musa will be retained for Nigeria’s crucial 2026 World Cup qualifying fixtures in September.
Chelle’s decision to reintroduce Musa may have been rooted in experience and leadership but it remains to be seen whether the Malian tactician will make a bold call by permanently handing the captaincy to a more active player or maintain Musa’s symbolic leadership role.
Ahmed Musa is the first Nigerian player to score a brace in two World Cup tournaments (2014, 2018). He is also the nation’s highest goalscorer at the FIFA World Cup with 4 goals.