2023 Afcon: Nduka Ugbade defends Ahmed Musa’s inclusion in Nigeria 40-man squad

By Saheed Afolabi

Former Nigeria U17 coach, Nduka Ugbade has justified the inclusion of Ahmed Musa in the national team provisional list for the 2023 Africa Cup Of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire.

In a leaked The former international believes the Super Eagles captain merited to be named in the 40-man list, considering his form for club.

Ugbade said Musa’s experience will be vital to Nigeria because he understands the atmosphere and he will be able to be a guide to the youngsters.

He drew experience from the role that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo plays for the Argentine and Portuguese national team despite their age.

“The inclusion of Ahmed Musa in the 40-man list of the Super Eagles is not out of place considering the fact that he’s a Nigerian. I have watched few of the goals he scored for his club, Sivasspor in the Turkish Süper Lig on youtube and I think he’s not doing badly at the moment,” Ugbade was quoted by Complete Sports.

“We can’t really rule out Musa’s experience in the senior national team knowing fully that he understand the whole atmosphere and should be able to guide the young players in the Super Eagles.

“Don’t forget that Messi despite his age led Argentina to win the World Cup and he’s still part of the team battling it out for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. His experience is what they are banking on regardless of his age. Mind you, he’s playing regularly with Inter Miami in the MLS.

“Likewise, Ronaldo who despite his age help Portugal to qualify for Euro 2024. He has been so instrumental in the team and nobody is talking about his club in Saudi Arabia because he’s playing week-in and week-out.”

The tactician added the 31 year old forward has what it takes to lead the Super Eagles to the AFCON in Cote D’Ivoire.

“Musa could play the role of a sociologist and psychologist because he has seen it all and his experience will be crucial for the young players. He’s like a team leader and will tell the players what to expect and how to handle whatever pressure that comes to them.

“Again, you should not forget that this is just a provisional list that will later be prone down to 23 or 26 players, and as you known anything can happen. He may be dropped or included in the final list that will be released.”

Nigeria are drawn in group A of the AFCON alongside host, Ivory Coast Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea Bissau.

The AFCON is scheduled to start on January 11 and end on February 13.