Who will be the Super Eagles’ breakout star as AFCON 2025 gets underway?

Every Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) edition leaves Super Eagles fans with at least one new hero. Not a debutant in the literal sense, but a player whose standing changes because the tournament forces him into the light.

At the last edition, that player was Ademola Lookman. He arrived respected but left indispensable, his decisive knockout stage contributions laying the groundwork for CAF Player of the Year award recognition later that year.

AFCON 2025 presents a similar opening. The Super Eagles squad travelling to Morocco contains several players on the edge of perception, trusted enough to be selected but not yet central to the team’s ambitions. One strong run, one defining performance, and that changes quickly. These are the Super Eagles players most likely to make that leap.

Potential Super Eagles breakout stars

Tochukwu Nnadi

Tochukwu Nnadi has quietly entered that discussion. His showing against Egypt did not scream dominance, but it carried assurance. He kept the ball moving, read danger early, and played with a calm that appealed to the coaching staff. Nigeria’s midfield options are in flux.

Ndidi is no longer the long-term solution. Onyeka offers intensity without control. Onyedika remains an enigma in national colours. In that space, Nnadi’s profile fits a need rather than a theory. A few minutes here, a start there, and he could find himself important by necessity.

Ebenezer Akinsanmiro

Ebenezer Akinsanmiro sits slightly further forward in the queue, reputation-wise. Youth competitions have already introduced him to the Nigerian audience, and expectation follows him into Morocco. 

His game invites the ball. He wants involvement, wants responsibility. AFCON rewards that kind of courage when it is paired with discipline. If Akinsanmiro finds rhythm early, his ceiling is obvious.

Chidera Ejuke

Out wide, there is another name forcing attention. Chidera Ejuke offers something Nigeria’s current winger pool lacks: unpredictability without recklessness. His last two outings in green and white showed a player comfortable receiving the ball under pressure and attacking defenders directly. He does not mirror Lookman or Simon. That difference matters. AFCON often turns on moments rather than patterns, and Ejuke thrives in moments.