Nigeria’s hopes of ending a 12-year Africa Cup of Nations title drought have been placed firmly on the shoulders of Victor Osimhen by former international Emmanuel Amuneke, Soccernet.ng reports.
Former AFCON winner Amuneke has urged Super Eagles striker Osimhen to let his football do the talking in Morocco.
Amuneke, one of Nigeria’s most decorated former internationals, has challenged Osimhen to inspire the Super Eagles to a fourth continental crown at AFCON 2025, insisting that success at the tournament is earned through grit and fight rather than words.
Nigeria have not lifted the AFCON trophy since their 2013 triumph in South Africa. That success came two years before Amuneke famously unleashed a teenage Osimhen on the world stage, guiding him to the Golden Boot and Golden Ball as Nigeria won the FIFA U17 World Cup in Chile.
Since then, Osimhen’s rise has been relentless. He powered Napoli to their historic Serie A title in 2023 and went on to claim a domestic league and cup double with Galatasaray earlier this year. Osimhen’s goalscoring exploit has established the Galatasaray man as one of the most feared strikers in world football.
Yet, a major international title with Nigeria remains missing from his glittering résumé.
Osimhen came agonisingly close last year, playing a decisive role as the Super Eagles reached the AFCON final, only to fall to hosts Côte d’Ivoire. With the 26-year-old striker now in his prime, Nigeria are widely tipped to go one step further in Morocco.
One man firmly backing that belief is Amuneke himself, a member of the legendary 1994 AFCON-winning squad and a coach who knows Osimhen’s mentality better than most.
How it really began: Super Eagles wobble, respond and send early AFCON 2025 message in Fes
The Super Eagles’ AFCON 2025 journey officially kicked off at 18:30 in Fes, but Nigeria’s opening-night win over Tanzania was already taking shape long before the first whistle.
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— Ayomide Oguntimehin (@ayo_oguntimehin) December 24, 2025
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Amuneke: Nigeria must earn it on the pitch
Speaking in an interview with Victor Modo, Amuneke praised Osimhen’s consistency, leadership, and unwavering winning mentality, noting that the same traits evident during his youth career remain visible today.
“One thing I can always tell you is that when I look back at Osimhen, the same character he is demonstrating as a leader, is what he has done over the years,” the former Barcelona winger said.
“And I am glad and I would like to see him winning the AFCON. I would love to see Osimhen winning the AFCON with his group.
“They can be good players but if at the end of the day you never achieved something, people can always say, it is a good team but they never achieved anything.
“I would love them to win the AFCON but they have to win it by fighting and earning it not by talking.”
Nigeria’s Super Eagles began their AFCON campaign with a 2–1 victory over Tanzania and currently sit second in Group C with three points. Tunisia lead the group on goal difference after their 3–1 win over Uganda.
The two heavyweights meet on Saturday night in Fes, a clash that could decide the group winner and carries added edge following Nigeria’s shock defeat to Tunisia at AFCON 2021 in Cameroon.
The Super Eagles held their final training session on Friday evening at the Centre de formation MAS de Fes, with all 28 players participating. The session, open briefly to the media, was intense, with no injury concerns reported.
Nigeria face Tunisia at the Fès Sports Complex, with kick-off scheduled for 9pm local and Nigerian time.