Former Nigerian international, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, says the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup because the team depended too much on Victor Osimhen.
Osimhen scored a hat-trick against Gabon to help Nigeria reach the final round of the African playoffs.
However, he was substituted at halftime during the final match against the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the team’s performance dropped afterward.
Nigeria has never lost a match in which Osimhen either scored or made an assist.
Aiyegbeni criticised the other strikers for not stepping up when needed.
“We have about four other strikers, but only one is performing. Only one plays with real hunger and fights hard when things go wrong,” Aiyegbeni said on the Home Turf podcast.
“We only rely on Osimhen. I think the others are just happy to be called to the national team.”
