Super Eagles: 4 Shorunmu-backed qualities NPFL players bring that Europe-based stars lack

Former Super Eagles goalkeeper Ike Shorunmu believes Nigeria’s next national team rebuild should look closer to home, Afrik-Foot reports.

Shorunmu has called for Eric Chelle to blend Europe-based stars with carefully selected NPFL players, arguing that domestic footballers can inject qualities that were conspicuously missing during the 3-0 AFCON qualifying defeat by Guinea-Bissau.

Shorunmu’s intervention came after Guinea-Bissau outmuscled and outworked Nigeria in Bissau, with Franculino Djú striking in the 15th minute, Mama Baldé doubling the advantage in the 66th and Álvaro Djaló completing the rout five minutes into stoppage time.

NPFL qualities to unleash after Super Eagles’ Bissau collapse

1. Physicality built in African football

Shorunmu believes NPFL players can offer greater familiarity with the rugged demands of African football.

The Bissau defeat exposed the problem. The Super Eagles struggled to impose itself on a difficult surface while the hosts adapted more effectively to the conditions, repeatedly attacking the spaces between Nigeria’s midfield and defence.

2. Hunger that can shake up the squad

Domestic players chasing their first major international breakthrough have a powerful incentive to fight for every minute.

Shorunmu wants that hunger to create genuine competition for shirts rather than allowing established European-based players to operate without serious pressure from within the squad.

Eric Chelle has already opened that door in the Super Eagles. He included eight NPFL players in his 2026 Unity Cup squad, giving domestic performers a route into the senior setup. He has also invited a number of home-based stars for Nigeria’s clash with Russia next week.

3. Familiarity with African conditions

NPFL players spend their seasons dealing with the pitches, travel, heat, physical challenges and tactical unpredictability that can define African competition.

That experience could have practical value in matches such as Bissau, where Nigeria found it difficult to reproduce the football that earned a 2-1 comeback against Madagascar in Uyo.

4. Competition for places

Shorunmu’s proposal is not a plea for automatic selection.

He explicitly wants quality to determine who stays, creating a squad in which NPFL players push established stars and foreign-based players respond by raising their own standards.

Chelle has previously demanded that domestic players show the attitude and fight required to earn a permanent place, meaning Shorunmu’s challenge fits an existing pathway rather than asking for special treatment.