Odion Ighalo Downplays Osimhen–Lookman Spat, Says Issue Has Been Resolved

Former Nigeria striker Odion Ighalo has played down the minor altercation involving Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman during Nigeria’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations group-stage match against Mozambique, insisting the situation has been exaggerated by media narratives.

The 2019 AFCON Golden Boot winner described the incident as insignificant, noting that emotional moments are common in high-stakes matches where players are desperate to win.

Speaking to SuperSport, Ighalo explained that such reactions should not be over-analysed.

“Well, I think the media is taking it too far, because in games like that there’s always going to be emotions and there’s always going to be players that want it more and act in a different way. We’ve seen Ronaldo do something like that,” he said.

Ighalo also highlighted Osimhen’s importance to the current Super Eagles setup, stressing that while the Napoli striker may not yet be on the level of global icons like Cristiano Ronaldo, he remains Nigeria’s most influential player.

“We’ve seen the big players. Though Victor is not Ronaldo, but in the Nigeria team he is the biggest player for me in that team,” Ighalo stated.

The former Manchester United forward revealed that he personally spoke with Osimhen after the match to understand what led to the reaction.

“So even after the game, I didn’t see what happened which I spoke to him and he said what Lookman said to him that made him react that way. I told him next time don’t react this way, sort it out in the dressing room,” he recounted.

According to Ighalo, the issue was quickly addressed internally and no bad blood remains between the two players.

“And all that which they settled and they are friends. I know Osimhen — you cannot fault his commitment for the national team. He fights, he scores goals, he does everything for the national team,” he added.

Ighalo concluded by noting that Osimhen often performs best when highly motivated, describing the striker’s passion as a key driver of his impact for Nigeria at AFCON 2025.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey 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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