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Former Super Eagles goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi has lavished praise on Stanley Nwabali after the Nigeria number one produced another series of assured performances at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, footynaija.com reports.
Nwabali was once again trusted as first choice throughout the tournament, a responsibility he also carried two years earlier in Côte d’Ivoire.
That run of starts placed him in rare company, making him the first Nigerian goalkeeper since Vincent Enyeama (in 2008 and 2010) to feature as number one in back-to-back AFCON competitions. For a player who only made his full senior international debut at 27, the rise has been both rapid and impressive.
World Cup go too sweet!!
— Ojora Babatunde (@ojbsports) February 6, 2026
Osimhen and Akor leading our attack, Lookman playing behind them.
Iwobi, Ndidi, Onyeka marshalling the midfield.
Bassey in the heart of the defence alongside Ajayi, with Bruno and Osayi Samuel..
Nwabali/Uzoho/Okoye fighting for the number 1 GK… pic.twitter.com/ByNcidTUxj
Nigeria’s journey to a bronze medal owed much to Nwabali’s consistency between the posts. He recorded four clean sheets in seven matches in Morocco, the same number he managed at the previous edition, taking his overall AFCON shutout tally closer to Enyeama’s long-standing national record. Alongside the silver medal from 2023, it has been a period that has defined his international career.
Akpeyi, who was part of the Super Eagles squad that won bronze in 2019, believes Nwabali’s progress tells a story of resilience, growth and strong mentality, particularly after the personal challenges he faced over the past year.
“He has improved so much from where he started to where he is now,” Akpeyi told ACLSports.
“There is 100% improvement from his side. As usual, you will have those days when you will be criticised positively and negatively. It is all part of the game. He is one of those goalkeepers in the national team fortunate to go through the challenges and are still there. Others did not survive it, but he is a strong-minded person, and he was able to stand his ground and get all the support he needed. He is still going strong.
“I think we are still looking forward to seeing the best of him in the national team. He has done well so far for the country. He carried the country in the AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire, as well as the one in Morocco this year. He has proven himself in the national team, and he is enjoying his reward. We look forward to seeing the best of him in the coming years.“
After four years at Chippa United, Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has left the club. 🇳🇬🧤
— oladokun kolapo ibrahim (@omo_olla) February 5, 2026
Turkish giants Beşiktaş are closely monitoring his situation. 👀🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/7hXNd9XBMw
Despite his growing influence for Nigeria, Nwabali currently finds himself without a club after parting ways with Chippa United shortly after returning from AFCON duty.
However, with reported interest from clubs in South Africa, Tanzania and Morocco, and more than 30 international caps already to his name, the Super Eagles goalkeeper is not expected to remain unattached for long.
