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Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has revealed he played all of Nigeria’s matches at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations while carrying injuries that had threatened to rule him out of the tournament entirely, footynaija.com reports.
The 29-year-old emerged as one of Nigeria’s most important figures during the campaign, featuring in six of the team’s seven matches and delivering a series of decisive performances that underpinned their run to the bronze medal.
What is only now becoming clear is how close Nwabali came to missing the tournament altogether.
Before the competition, there were strong doubts about his availability, with his club side, Chippa United, concerned about a double injury to his wrist and ankle.
At one stage, surgery seemed more likely than a place in Nigeria’s squad. Yet, against the odds, he not only made the trip to Morocco but also started the opening two matches against Tanzania and Tunisia, both wins for the Super Eagles.
After being rested for the final group game against Uganda, Nwabali returned for the knockout stages and grew in influence.
Clean sheets against Mozambique and Algeria set the tone, before another commanding display against hosts Morocco, which included a penalty save, even though Nigeria were eventually eliminated on spot-kicks.
He saved his best for the third-place playoff against Egypt, denying Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush from the spot and earning the man-of-the-match award.
Only after the tournament did Nwabali explain the scale of his struggle. He told the Times Live:
“With the assistance of the national team and the highest levels of how they treat their players, I managed to get fit enough. I felt like they helped me a lot with my recovery. I’m not fully fit but they knew how to manage me. The team’s doctors and physiotherapists worked hard to get me back on the field to play.”
Now back in South Africa, Nwabali is turning his attention to a difficult domestic task with bottom-placed Chippa United.
“I am done with the national team for now, so I am going to focus on my club to see how we are going to help the team survive relegation,” he said. “I know we are at the bottom of the table, and it is not where the team should be…”
