Super Eagles: Why Iwobi, not Osimhen is Nigeria’s most important player

The Super Eagles have a plethora of talent, and while Victor Osimhen may be Nigeria’s biggest star, Alex Iwobi has become the team’s most important player, Afrik-Foot reports.

Osimhen’s importance to Nigeria is difficult to dispute. The Galatasaray striker gives the Super Eagles a world-class reference point in attack, while his pressing, physicality, personality and constant communication can lift the players around him.

However, football is ultimately about creating and finishing chances, and Nigeria’s attacking structure depends heavily on somebody getting the ball to their forwards.

That is where Iwobi becomes indispensable. The 30-year-old is currently Nigeria’s primary ball progressor.

There is no other player in Chelle’s team who consistently offers the same combination of receiving between the lines, carrying the ball forward and finding teammates beyond opposition defensive lines, and that should be a concern for the Nigeria Football Federation.

Super Eagles: Why Iwobi is Nigeria’s most important player

1. Nobody else progresses the ball like Iwobi

Iwobi’s value goes beyond assists and key passes. At the AFCON 2025 tournament in Morocco, CAF recorded 46 line-breaking passes from the Fulham midfielder, the most by any player at the tournament.

That number was more than double the 22 recorded by Wilfred Ndidi, Nigeria’s next-best player in that category.

Iwobi was not simply passing the ball sideways and keeping possession. He was constantly breaking defensive lines and moving Nigeria from one phase of play into another.

That distinction matters. Nigeria have forwards capable of scoring goals, but they need someone capable of consistently getting the ball into positions where those forwards can hurt opponents.

Iwobi does that. His importance was again visible in Nigeria’s recent 2-1 victory over Madagascar.

The midfielder produced the pass that sent George Ilenikhena through for the equaliser, cutting through the Madagascar defence with the kind of ball that Nigeria have increasingly come to expect from him.

Chelle’s team can survive without Osimhen, as the Madagascar game demonstrated, but replacing Iwobi’s profile will be like finding a needle in a haystack.

2. Morocco already showed what happens when Iwobi is stopped

Perhaps the clearest evidence of Iwobi’s importance came during Nigeria’s AFCON 2025 semi-final against Morocco.

Walid Regragui’s team identified the midfielder as Nigeria’s main creative outlet and closed him down.

Iwobi had averaged around 15 line-breaking passes per game before the semi-final. Against Morocco, he managed just three.

The consequence was obvious. Nigeria produced only two shots in 120 minutes, with just one on target, and struggled to connect their midfield with Osimhen and the other forwards.

Yet, even in that difficult game, Iwobi produced Nigeria’s biggest chance.

He created the first-half opening for Ademola Lookman with a superb pass through the Moroccan lines, allowing the winger to shoot straight at Yassine Bounou.

Morocco did not merely neutralise Nigeria’s forwards. They recognised that stopping the supply line to those forwards was equally important.

If Osimhen is the man expected to finish Nigeria’s attacks, Iwobi is often the player responsible for starting them.

Iwobi’s age should concern the NFF

There is another reason Nigeria should be concerned about their dependence on Iwobi.

He is now 30. That is not a problem in itself. Iwobi remains an important Premier League player for Fulham and has already reached 100 Super Eagles appearances.

The problem is that Nigeria have not produced a successor to his particular profile.

Chelle has gradually made the Super Eagles more cohesive as a team, which explains why Nigeria have been able to produce good performances even when Osimhen has been absent.

The striker missed the September AFCON qualifiers through injury, yet Nigeria still beat Madagascar 2-1.

That should not be interpreted as evidence that Osimhen is unimportant. Rather, it shows that Nigeria’s collective structure is becoming strong enough to absorb the absence of its biggest star.

Iwobi’s absence could be different. Without someone capable of consistently progressing the ball through midfield and finding the forwards, the structure itself risks becoming disconnected.

Osimhen can provide the mentality, leadership, pressing and finishing, but without the player capable of supplying him, Nigeria lose the mechanism that allows those qualities to shine

For now, that player is Iwobi, and the fact that he is already 30 should make finding his successor one of the Super Eagles’ most urgent long-term priorities.