Former Super Eagles striker, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, has admitted that he would find it difficult to score goals if he played in the current national team, citing poor tactics and lack of creativity as major setbacks.
Speaking on the Sunday Oliseh podcast, the former Everton forward criticised the Super Eagles’ style of play, which he described as overly dependent on individual brilliance rather than teamwork.
Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign has been underwhelming, with the team dropping points in matches against Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and South Africa.
The results have left the Eagles third in Group C with 11 points, six points behind leaders South Africa and three behind Benin Republic, with two games left.
Aiyegbeni, who netted 21 goals in 58 appearances for the national team, expressed concern over the imbalance in the midfield, stressing that it fails to provide the needed creativity for strikers.
“When we look at the team, we have too many defensive midfielders and not many attacking midfielders,” he said.
Yakubu, who scored 21 goals in 58 appearances for Nigeria, stressed that the lack of creativity in midfield puts unnecessary pressure on strikers like Victor Osimhen.
“If I play in this team, I will struggle to score goals because when I look at Osimhen when he plays, he is fighting because he knows already when he sees the goals he scores, and he has to hustle by himself,” Aiyegbeni said.
He further criticised the team’s overall playing style, describing it as overly dependent on individual efforts rather than collective play.
“We don’t play like a team, it’s individual football we play, and we want the players to make magic,” he added.
Aiyegbeni remains Nigeria’s fourth-highest international goalscorer and has continued to use his platform to call for a more balanced and creative approach to the Super Eagles’ play.
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