When Victor Osimhen scores or Ademola Lookman dribbles past three defenders, there are often conversations that naturally follow, Footynaija.com reports.
But there is Alex Iwobi who has spent the better part of a decade being one of Nigerian football’s most underappreciated asset. Even now, as he plays the best football of his career, the recognition still lags behind what he deserves.
Osimhen is Nigeria’s record scorer and one of the most feared strikers in world football. Lookman won the CAF Men’s Player of the Year award in 2024 and has been unplayable at his best for both club and country.
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The two are the faces of Nigerian football right now, and rightly so.
Under Eric Chelle, the Super Eagles have started to look like a team again. After the painful exit to DR Congo in the World Cup playoff last November, Chelle has been doing his bits to restore structure and belief to a squad that had lost both.
What followed at AFCON 2025 in Morocco was one of Nigeria’s most complete tournament performances in years: six games played, 14 goals scored, and a bronze medal secured.
The football had shape, the attack had teeth, and the midfield had a conductor.
What the numbers say
That conductor was Iwobi. Reports indicate he led AFCON 2025 knockout stage for line-breaking passes, completing 36 in just two matches, 22 against Mozambique and 14 against Algeria, more than any other player remaining in the competition.
Across the tournament, the Fulham midfielder registered 46 defence-splitting passes in total, more than double that of any other Super Eagles player in the squad.
He is 29 now, and the version of him that once frustrated fans with inconsistency barely resembles the player in the green shirt today.
Against Algeria in the quarter-final, it was his through pass that released Osimhen in the final third, leading directly to Akor Adams’ goal. He then dropped deep to shield the defence as Nigeria managed the game out. That range, from creator to cover, is what separates him from most midfielders on the continent.
The player his coach cannot do without
What makes the lack of noise around him stranger is that even his teammates and coach know exactly what he brings.
Chelle described him saying: “Some players just feel the game; they play for pleasure and for others. Alex is that kind of player.”
Iwobi himself has never chased the spotlight.
“I couldn’t tell you what has changed; I just put in the same effort,” he said ahead of the Morocco semi-final.
“I think first and foremost about the team and winning.”
Nigeria beat Iran 2-1 in their first game under Chelle since AFCON, and the midfield platform Iwobi provides was visible again in Antalya.
Osimhen may be sidelined with a fractured arm, and Lookman will always draw the eye, but the player who makes this team function is the one wearing the number that rarely trends.
If the Super Eagles are going to mean anything in the AFCON 2027 qualifiers, they will need him fit, available, and finally getting the credit he has long been owed.
