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The Super Eagles of Nigeria return to action this March, their first outing since AFCON 2025, with international friendlies against Iran and Jordan on the 27th and 31st respectively.
The games were initially scheduled to take place in Amman, Jordan, but have since been moved to Antalya, Turkey, due to security concerns in the Middle East.
The squad list, released last Wednesday, carried a familiar feel. There were no real surprises, and as is often the case with friendlies, a few notable names were left out. Not even that raises much concern, given these games do not appear to serve as preparation for any upcoming tournament.
On the goalkeeper list, Nigeria’s number one, Stanley Nwabali, who left his club, Chippa United, last month, was also not included in the squad.
Nwabali joined the national team a few weeks before AFCON 2023 when then-coach Jose Peseiro invited him and made him number one — a decision Nwabali validated with his performances.
Since his arrival, he has consistently delivered heroic displays for the national team, commanding his goal area, organizing the defence, distributing the ball effectively, and, most importantly, producing crucial saves.
He has made mistakes on a few occasions, but that is natural for any player. Overall, Nwabali remains a key figure in goal for the Super Eagles and has consistently proven his reliability.
Now that Nwabali is unavailable for these games, the question becomes: who is best suited to replace him and step up in his absence? It’s a question that demands a thorough answer.
The goalkeeping situation with Nigeria has long been a challenge. Since Carl Ikeme retired due to health issues in 2017, the only goalkeeper who has consistently been solid is Stanley Nwabali. In fact, it took a last-minute call-up to bring him into the team, and that was in 2023. Imagine the gap between 2017, when Ikeme left, and 2023.
With Nwabali now firmly established as number one, it makes sense to ask who can deputise effectively in his absence.
These upcoming friendlies against Iran and Jordan may provide the perfect opportunity to find out who that goalkeeper could be.
Let’s take a closer look at the options available.
Starting with Maduka Okoye.
Okoye remains, on paper, the most complete fit for where elite goalkeeping is heading. He is comfortable receiving under pressure, willing to play through the lines, and naturally suited to a team that wants to build from the back.
The question is not what Okoye can do. It is whether the Super Eagles environment still trusts him to do it.
Many still have the 2021 AFCON in mind, particularly the round of 16 tie against Tunisia, a game for which he was widely blamed, even if, on closer look, it does not entirely rest on him.
One would have expected him to bounce back from that moment and fight his way back into the fold. Instead, the signs have often been unconvincing. There have been instances of late arrivals to camp, or withdrawals for one reason or another, raising questions about his commitment to the national team.
This window, then, has to be more than just another call-up. It has to feel like a reset.
Okoye needs to send a clear signal that the coaching staff can trust him again, that a profile once moved away from is worth revisiting, and that he himself is ready to take control of his narrative once more.
Onto Francis Uzoho.
Francis Uzoho made his debut for Nigeria in 2017 and, for a period, attempted to establish himself as the number one.
However, Uzoho has too often been culpable of errors that have cost Nigeria at crucial moments. Mistakes are part of the game, but when they become frequent and show little sign of improvement, they begin to create unease. In many ways, the rush to bring in Stanley Nwabali was a direct response to Uzoho’s struggles.
There was a genuine fear among supporters that had Nigeria gone into the AFCON 2023 tournament with Uzoho as first choice, progressing beyond the group stage would have been unlikely.
Off the pitch, too, he has given a response that never helped his case. At one point, reacting to criticism, he remarked, “If e easy make Oyinbo sign you,” context meaning, if it’s easy, let a European club sign you, that was his response to the criticism he was getting from fans at the time.
Uzoho has been in the setup for a long time and has had more than a few opportunities to make the position his own. Perhaps this window offers something different, a chance at redemption, if he is willing to see it that way.
Finally, to Adebayo Adeleye
Adeleye is the one who has not received the opportunities that Maduka Okoye and Francis Uzoho have had. He does not carry the same international baggage as either of them.
In fact, he has just one cap for the team, the AFCON 2023 qualifier where Nigeria defeated Sierra Leone 3-2.
Perhaps he needs more chances. Maybe it is a matter of trust, but he has not been trusted as much as Okoye and Uzoho. So why not trust him more?
Or is he the one who has not really shown that he is ready to step up into that position?
There are still so many questions hanging, but Nigeria’s goalkeeping situation needs fixing, and a standard, solid backup for Nwabali is needed. Let’s see who steps up.
Nigeria 23-man squad:
Goalkeepers –
Maduka Okoye (Udinese), Adeleye Adebayo (Volos FC), Francis Uzoho (Omonia FC)
Defenders –
Calvin Bassey (Fulham), Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (Hull City), Bright Osayi-Samuel (Birmingham City), Bruno Onyemaechi (Olympiacos), Zaidu Sanusi (FC Porto), Igoh Ogbu (Slavia Prague), Emmanuel Fernandez (Rangers)
Midfielders –
Alex Iwobi (Fulham), Frank Onyeka (Coventry City), Wilfred Ndidi (Besiktas), Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge), Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (Lazio)
Forwards –
Ademola Lookman (Atletico Madrid), Samuel Chukwueze (Fulham), Moses Simon (Paris FC), Chidera Ejuke (Sevilla), Paul Onuachu (Trabzonspor AS), Akor Adams (Sevilla), Philip Otele (Hamburger SV), Collins Yira Sor (KRC Genk)
