January 06, (THEWILL) – The Confederations of African Football have published the Super Eagles’ squad numbers for the TotalEnergies 2021 Africa Cup of Nations tournament (CAF) in Cameroon.
With jersey number one, Sparta Rotterdam goalkeeper Maduka Okoye appears to have cemented his place as the Eagles’ first-choice shot-stopper. It is worth noting however that, although Ikechukwu Ezenwa had jersey number one at the previous AFCON, Daniel Akpeyi appeared in four of Nigeria’s six games.
Rangers ace Joe Aribo, who, like Okoye, is making his tournament debut for the Eagles, has been given the legendary number ten uniform worn by John Mikel Obi in Egypt in 2019.
Odion Ighalo’s participation in the national squad in Cameroon is still uncertain, but the Al Shabab forward keeps the number nine shirt he wore in the previous edition, that won him the tournament’s top goal-scorer award with five goals.
Except for Villarreal’s Samuel Chukwueze, the thirteen other Super Eagles stars that competed in Egypt 2019 have kept the same numbers they wore at that continental competition.
Chukwueze wore jersey number 13 when he was a marginal team member with only two caps, but he will now don the number 17 shirt, the same number he wears for Villarreal. Last time, Bordeaux’s Samuel Kalu wore number 17, but he did not make it for 2022.
Leicester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho, Union Berlin’s Taiwo Awoniyi, and Huesca’s Kelechi Nwakali are among the fourteen Nigerian players making their AFCON debuts and their shirt numbers, with the rest of the squad, are as follows:
1 – Maduka Okoye
2 – Ola Aina
3 – Jamilu Collins
4 – Wilfred Ndidi
5 – William Troost-Ekong
6 – Semi Ajayi
7 – Ahmed Musa
8 – Frank Onyeka
9 – Odion Ighalo
10 – Joe Aribo
11 – Henry Onyekuru
12 – Zaidu Sanusi
13 – Chidera Ejuke
14 – Kelechi Iheanacho
15 – Moses Simon
16 – Daniel Akpeyi
17 – Samuel Chukwueze
18 – Alex Iwobi
19 – Taiwo Awoniyi
20 – Chidozie Awaziem
21 – Tyronne Ebuehi
22 – Kenneth Omeruo
23 – Francis Uzoho
24 – Umar Sadiq
25 – Kelechi Nwakali
26 – Olisa Ndah
27 – John Noble
28 – Peter Olayinka
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
