Super Eagles striker drought worries Etim Esin

By Saheed Afolabi

Former Nigeria international, Etim Esin, has raised concerns over the ongoing goal drought among Super Eagles strikers, warning that the national team cannot continue to rely solely on Victor Osimhen to carry the attack.

Esin’s comments come amid a worrying trend where other Nigerian forwards have failed to deliver consistently for the national team, putting additional pressure on Osimhen to perform at every turn.

Esin pointed out that in any major tournament, strikers are expected to step up and deliver goals.

“In any tournament, you must depend on your strikers to deliver. If we keep relying solely on Osimhen, it will get us nowhere,” Esin stated in an interview with Complete Sports.

“Osimhen can only play his part. What happens if he gets injured? Does that mean we won’t score? It’s very worrying.”

The 1994 AFCON winner emphasized that a striker in the number nine role should score consistently for their country, referencing the high standards set worldwide.

“A striker playing the number nine role must score consistently for his country—that’s the standard worldwide. You can’t play four games for your country without scoring a goal; it doesn’t make sense.”

Esin also expressed his frustration over the lack of goals from other Super Eagles forwards, particularly Victor Boniface, who has struggled to replicate his club form for Nigeria.

“Boniface, for instance, has been given numerous opportunities, but he still can’t score for Nigeria. This is becoming a major concern. Does it mean Eguavoen cannot rely on any other striker? Or are we saying that if Osimhen doesn’t score, then Nigeria won’t score?”

The former midfielder, who played alongside legendary strikers like the late Rashidi Yekini, Samson Siasia, and Richard Owubokiri, said that the failure to convert chances was troubling.

“I played alongside great strikers like Rashidi Yekini, Samson Siasia, and Richard Owubokiri. They delivered for both club and country. Boniface is prolific in Germany, but when it comes to Nigeria, he keeps missing chances.”

Esin concluded by stressing that the Super Eagles need to address this striker issue before the 2025 AFCON, warning that failure to do so could result in major problems for the national team.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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