Nigeria forward Terem Moffi believes he wasn’t given enough opportunities to prove himself during the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2024) in Ivory Coast.
The 24-year-old was a late addition to the Super Eagles squad for the tournament following Umar Sadiq’s withdrawal due to injury.
Despite Moffi’s inclusion in Nigeria’s final squad, the OGC Nice striker was sparingly used by head coach Jose Peseiro, who opted to solely rely on Victor Osimhen throughout the tournament.
The Portuguese’s lack of rotation also meant the Napoli star started every game, which left Moffi and the other attacking options struggling for minutes.
Despite being afforded very little game time during the AFCON, Moffi still made an impact, especially in the semi-final against South Africa. The striker came on as a substitute against Bafana Bafana and nearly settled the game in extra time before being brought down by Grant Kekana, who was sent off for preventing a goal-scoring opportunity. Moffi also scored in the ensuing shootout as the Super Eagles won 4-2 on penalties.
No secret to my scoring form – Moffi
Since returning to his club after helping Nigeria clinch a runners-up finish at the AFCON, Moffi has been in sensational form with four goals to his name.
The OGC Nice striker netted his 10th goal of the season in his side’s 1-2 home defeat to Nantes last Sunday, and he believes he could’ve produced at a similar level for Nigeria if he was given a bit more game time during the AFCON.
Asked about the secret to his scoring form at Nice, Moffi said the only difference is that he plays every week for his club, insisting it’s a matter of opportunity rather than him not being good enough for the national team.
“Secret [of scoring goals]? There is no secret. The difference is that during the AFCON I hardly had playing time. I had less than 15 minutes playing time throughout. If what happened after I was introduced into the semi-final game against South Africa didn’t happen, very few people would have remembered that I even played in the AFCON,” Moffi told Nations Sports.
“I am talking about the red card issued to the South African defender after he hacked me down to prevent me from scoring what could possibly have been the winning goal and the first penalty I opted to take and scored for the team during the penalty shootout.
“In contrast, in my club I play week after week and get the chance to score and I score. There is therefore no secret but a matter of opportunity.”
Moffi names Drogba and Van Persie as his idols
Moffi’s goal against Nantes last week also marked his 50th in Ligue 1, putting him in an exclusive company of Nigerian players to have reached a half-century of goals in the French topflight.
The former Kortrijk and Lorient marksman is now only behind John Utaka (59) and Victor Ikpeba (55) in the list of highest-scoring Nigerian footballers in Ligue 1. Opening up on which players he idolised while growing up, Moffi picked Chelsea and Ivory Coast legend Didier Drogba, as well as former Dutch international Robin van Persie.
“Growing up, I had great admiration for Didier Drogba and Robin Van Persie and I wanted to be like them; they inspired me a lot,” Moffi told Nation Sports
“As for Messi, Ronaldo and Mbappe, these are great players and I have a lot of respect for them. I have played against Messi and Mbappe a number of times while for Ronaldo our paths have never crossed. They all remain players that rank among the very best.”
Moffi was left out of the squad named by interim coach Finidi George for Nigeria’s March international friendlies against Ghana and Mali. However, his rich vein of form puts him in a good position to return for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin in June.
