Odegbami warns Ahmed Musa against ‘risky’ NPFL return

By Asuquo

Posted on September 21, 2024

Nigeria’s football legend, Segun Odegbami, has cautioned Super Eagles forward Ahmed Musa against taking unnecessary risks in his quest to return to the national team ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.

Musa, who has not been called up to the Super Eagles for a considerable time, last featured in the squad during the 2023 AFCON tournament. Despite being the team’s captain, the 31-year-old forward was not involved in Nigeria’s recent AFCON campaign in Côte d’Ivoire. His national team status has been on the decline, even though he holds the record as Nigeria’s most-capped player and top scorer in World Cup history.

Odegbami, a former Super Eagles star and Nigerian football icon, expressed his concerns in a recent interview. “I also wore the number 7 jersey and share some traits with Ahmed Musa,” he remarked, according to Complete Sports. “Like me, he scored many goals from the wings, including four during two World Cups—the highest by a Nigerian in World Cup history.”

Odegbami acknowledged Musa’s decorated career, noting his accomplishments, including two national honours (MON and OON), and his professional stints in Europe, Russia, and the Middle East. However, he advised against Musa’s recent decision to rejoin Kano Pillars in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) as a strategy to secure a return to the Super Eagles squad.

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Musa briefly rejoined Kano Pillars in 2021 before moving to Turkey, and now, the former Super Eagles captain has made a bold decision to return to the NPFL in hopes of maintaining his fitness and form. Odegbami, however, remains skeptical about the move.

“It is in the news now that, six months after departing the national team and not securing a contract abroad, Musa will be rejoining his former team, Kano Pillars FC, this season,” Odegbami explained. “He intends to leverage on that ‘project’ to play his way back into the Super Eagles for the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.”

Odegbami warned that Musa is taking a significant gamble. “Most before him did not take that path,” he noted. “Few players in Nigeria’s football history have returned to the NPFL to end their careers, and probably none succeeded in leaving a mark. This is also wishing him the very best of luck in this ambitious new adventure.”