By: Monsurah Olatunji
Former Nigerian international Etim Esin has expressed his disappointment with the lack of creativity in the current Super Eagles squad, placing much of the blame on midfielder Alex Iwobi for not filling the crucial playmaking role.
Esin, who played as a creative midfielder for Nigeria, recounted that the absence of inventive midfielders is contributing to the strikers’ poor performances in the recent AFCON 2025 qualifiers.
He believes that the lack of a true playmaker has hindered the team’s attacking potential.
Iwobi, who is Jay-Jay Okocha’s maternal nephew, has been a regular in the national team since switching allegiance from England’s youth setup to Nigeria in 2015.
However, despite his technical ability and experience, Esin feels that Iwobi is not capable of fulfilling the role of a creative midfielder for the Super Eagles.
“Another issue is the lack of a creative midfielder — a proper number 10 who can orchestrate plays, provide assists, and unsettle opposing teams,” Esin told Compete Sports.
“That magic touch of players like Jay-Jay Okocha, Henry Nwosu, or even myself is missing. We don’t have naturally gifted playmakers anymore. Everyone is just average.”
He further questioned the comparisons made between Iwobi and Okocha, stating, “For instance, people keep talking about Iwobi, but he can’t do half of what Okocha did. That comparison doesn’t hold water.”
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.
