AFCON 2025: Will Super Eagles’ staggering financial advantage decide Nigeria vs Mozambique?

Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has urged his teammates to approach tonight’s AFCON 2025 round-of-16 clash against Mozambique with complete concentration, warning that the fixture will demand discipline rather than reputation. 

Speaking after Sunday’s media session in Fez, the Fulham centre-back noted the upsets already witnessed at the tournament and said the squad is fully aware that nothing will be handed to them on the road to the quarterfinals.

Bassey explained that the focus inside the camp remains on execution rather than star power. “On paper, we have all the big names, but for us we are focused on ourselves and making sure that we do everything right and making sure that we execute the game plan, and that’s the most important thing for us,” he said. 

The Super Eagles go into the tie on the back of a perfect group-stage run, but Bassey’s comments echoed the mood from the opposition bench, where Mozambique head coach Francisco Conde also played down the importance of individual profiles.

Addressing reporters at the Fez Stadium on Sunday, the coach stressed that his players will approach Nigeria with collective discipline rather than singling out any Super Eagles forward for special treatment. “The strength that we have is a collective strength; we are not thinking about one player alone, either Victor Osimhen or Ademola Lookman, but we will play Nigeria as a whole team,” Conde said. “Names and jerseys don’t win games. My players have shown that when they played against several other big players.”

How does Mozambique’s market value compare to that of the Super Eagles?

The matchup also throws up a striking financial contrast between both nations. 

Transfermarkt listings place the Super Eagles squad value at €281.33 million, a reflection of the profile and pedigree of several Europe-based regulars. Mozambique, in comparison, head into tonight’s tie with a comparatively modest combined valuation of €29.8 million.

Within that spread, Calvin Bassey’s €28 million valuation almost equals the entire Mozambican squad on its own, underlining how highly rated the defender has become following his club-level rise in recent seasons. At the top end of the scale sits Victor Osimhen, whose €75 million tag exceeds twice the full squad value of Nigeria’s opponents, placing him among the most valuable footballers at AFCON 2025 as a whole

Despite the disparity, both sides have been quick to stress that numbers will not dictate the contest. Nigeria enter as favourites on paper, yet Bassey and Conde share a similar outlook, the match will be decided by organisation, intensity and discipline rather than price tags once action begins under the lights in Fez tonight.