International Football
HOW AND WHY MUSA, IGHALO AND IWOBI LOST OUT IN AFRICAN FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR CONTEST
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The CAF Awards 2018 is over. Nigeria’s only mark at the colourful ceremony in Dakar Senegal was the winning of the national women’s team of the year award. In the other more elevating awards, Nigeria and Nigerians were confined to the status of anonymity.
The most prestigious of the awards is that of the Africa Footballer of the Year which was expectedly won by the rave of the moment, Mohamed Salah of Egypt and Liverpool.
In the first shortlist of 34 players, there were three Nigerians – Ahmed Musa, Odion Ighalo and Alex Iwobi.
First to be eliminated was Musa who could not make it to the next stage on December 14, 2018 when the list was pruned to 10. At that stage, it was the 18-man Technical and Development Committee of CAF that decided.
Among them is Nigeria’s Ahmed Yusuf who did not vote. His not voting could not be because there were Nigerian candidates as other members of the committee also have their nationals short listed.
The only vote that Ahmed Musa got was from Alshelmani Abdulhakimamg of Libya. He gave Musa full mark of five. That was the only mark that Musa got.
While Musa had five points, Egypt’s Mohamed Salah had 54. Sadio Mane was a distant second with 31 while Aubameyang was third with 18.
Nigeria’s Odion Igalo had no vote at all from the members of the Technical and Development Committee.
He was not alone in that category. Eight other players also scored blank.
Iwobi got into the second stage of the poll having obtained nine points to rank fifth among the initial 34. His votes were from Hazem Imam of Egypt who gave him three points while the duo of Malouche Belhassan of Tunisia and Fran Smith of South Africa each awarded him two points.
Iwobi got a point each from the duo of Uganda’s Watson Suubi Edgar and Korichi Taoufique of Algeria.
In the next stage involving the top 10 among the original 34, the coaches as well as the Technical Directors and captains of national teams voted.
Both Gernot Rohr and Mikel Obi each gave Alex Iwobi maximum five points. That helped in giving Iwobi a total of 68 points. But that was far below the 351 obtained by Mohamed Salah and 293 of Sadio Mane.
The last stage involved votes from the designated media men, legends and coaches of CAF inter clubs competitions.
Among the chosen 16 media men, only two voted for Iwobi. They are Ayotunde Adelakun, a member of Gernot Rohr’s backroom staff and Mondher Chaouachi, the head of press and communication of Esperance of Tunisia.
While Adelakun expectedly gave Iwobi his maximum point of five, Chaouachi ranked the Nigerian second and gave him four points to put his total at nine.
At that stage, Salah was already coasting home with 70 points, also profiting from Chaouachi’s five and Adelakun’s three.
Among the 10 legends that voted, there were three Nigerians – Daniel Amokachi, Mercy Akide and Perpetua Nkwocha. Daniel Amokachi did not vote for Alex Iwobi. His votes were for Mohamed Salah –five; Aubameyang – four and Sadio Mane – three.
Mercy Akide voted Iwobi as third, given him three marks while offering Salah the maximum five and Mane had four.
Perpetua Nkwocha voted similarly. She gave Iwobi three points, Salah had five, and Mane got four from her.
Iwobi got 12 points from the legends as against 50 by Salah and 31 of Mane. Apart from the six points that Iwobi got from Akide and Nkwocha, the other half came from three points from Ghana’s Black Queens’ captain, Adjoa Bayor, two points from Mark Fish of South Africa and a point from Patrick Mboma of Cameroon.
The last sets of voters were coaches of the quarter-finalists of the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup in 2018. They were 16 in all. The coach of Enyimba did not vote for Alex Iwobi. Rather, his votes were for: Salah (five points), Mane (four points), Aubamayang (three points), Mehdi Benatia (Morocco & Juventus (two points) and Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Manchester City) had a point.
Overall, Iwobi had 100 points when all points scored were summed up. That put him fifth behind Salah (567), Mane (440), Riyad Mahrez (193) and Mehdi Benatia (105).
Nigeria’s Super Eagles put up a spirited performance but were edged 2-1 by Portugal in an international friendly at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria on Wednesday night.
The match served as Portugal’s final tune-up ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America and offered the Nigerians a chance to test themselves against one of Europe’s leading sides led by veteran captain Cristiano Ronaldo.
Portugal drew first blood in the 23rd minute when Pedro Neto broke the deadlock, firing past Nigerian goalkeeper Maduka Okoye after a lively opening period in which both teams created opportunities.
The Super Eagles responded positively and were rewarded eight minutes before halftime when striker Akor Adams found the equaliser. The goal capped an impressive Nigerian fightback and ensured the teams went into the break level at 1-1.
Ronaldo, making a rare appearance against Nigeria, started the match and remained on the pitch until the 67th minute. The 41-year-old was given a standing ovation by the home crowd when he was replaced by Gonçalo Ramos.
Portugal made several changes after the interval as coach Roberto Martinez rotated his squad in preparation for the World Cup. Despite the substitutions, the hosts continued to press for a winner.
Their persistence paid off in the 75th minute when Francisco Conceição struck the decisive goal, restoring Portugal’s lead and ultimately securing victory for the European side.
Nigeria battled to find another equaliser in the closing stages but Portugal’s defence held firm to preserve the 2-1 result.
The defeat means Portugal have now won both meetings between the two countries. Their first encounter came in Lisbon in November 2022, when the Portuguese recorded a convincing 4-0 victory in a pre-World Cup friendly.
While the result will disappoint Nigerian supporters, the Super Eagles can take encouragement from their resilient display against one of the teams widely tipped to make a strong impact at the World Cup. Akor Adams’ goal and Nigeria’s competitive showing against a star-studded Portuguese side provided positive signs as the team continues its rebuilding process under the national team set-up.
For Portugal, the victory provides a confidence boost as they head to North America, where they hope their talented midfield and experienced squad can propel them to a successful World Cup campaign.
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Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo will be in the starting line-up when the Selecao take on Nigeria in an international friendly match which kicks off in a few minutes tonight.
The 41-year-old forward, who remains a key figure in the Portuguese national team, has been named among the starters as Portugal continue preparations for upcoming competitive fixtures.
Ronaldo’s inclusion is expected to add further excitement to the encounter, with Nigerian fans eager to see one of football’s greatest players in action against the Super Eagles.
The match offers Nigeria another opportunity to test themselves against top European opposition, while Portugal will look to sharpen their squad ahead of future international assignments.
Kick-off is scheduled for later tonight, with both teams expected to field strong line-ups in what promises to be an entertaining contest.
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By Kunle Solaja
Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Portugal will meet for only the second time at the senior level when they clash in an international friendly in Leiria on Wednesday night.
The encounter comes under remarkably similar circumstances to their first meeting in November 2022, when Portugal defeated Nigeria 4-0 in Lisbon just days before the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Once again, Portugal are using Nigeria as their final warm-up match before the World Cup. Four years ago, the Portuguese selected the Super Eagles to prepare for a group-stage clash against Ghana, the team that denied Nigeria a place at Qatar 2022.
History appears to be repeating itself. This time, Portugal are preparing for a World Cup opening fixture against the Democratic Republic of Congo, another team that shattered Nigeria’s World Cup ambitions by eliminating the Super Eagles from the qualification race.
The match at the 29,000-capacity Estádio Dr Magalhães Pessoa offers Nigeria an opportunity to avenge the heavy defeat suffered four years ago and test themselves against one of Europe’s strongest sides.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez has assembled a star-studded squad featuring five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Rafael Leão and João Félix.
The Portuguese head into the encounter unbeaten in their last four matches, having recorded victories over the United States and Chile while drawing with Mexico.
Nigeria, under coach Eric Chelle, have also enjoyed an impressive run. Since taking charge 15 months ago, the Franco-Malian tactician has overseen 24 matches and suffered only one defeat in regulation time.
With both teams carrying impressive recent records, Wednesday’s friendly promises to be far more competitive than the scoreline from their last meeting suggests.
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