Ahmed Musa Returns To Super Eagles As Chelle Invites 10 Home-based Players, 14 Others For Unity Cup

Veteran striker, Ahmed Musa, has been called up to the Super Eagles squad for this month-end’s Unity Cup Tournament in London, returning to the team after a year of absence.

The Kano Pillars star player was named in the 25-man squad, which included 10 home-based players.

Musa, who is Nigeria’s highest goalscorer at the World Cup and the team’s captain, returns to the squad for the first time after Super Eagles clinched silver at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) early last year. Though he didn’t feature in any Eagles’ match at the AFCON 2023 in Cote d’Ivoire.

But, he will be among the options for the Super Eagles ahead of the four-nation Unity Cup Tournament in London.

Eagles head Coach Eric Chelle also included a number of standout Nigeria Premier Football League players as well as in-form winger Moses Simon, Striker Kelechi Iheanacho, goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, in his 25-man squad for the Unity Cup campaign.

The list of the invited players which was released by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Wednesday, will see Junior Harrison Nduka, captain of the CHAN-bound Super Eagles B and of champions Remo Stars, seek a slot in the defence that also has Semi Ajayi, Bruno Onyemaechi, Igoh Ogbu and fellow home-boys Ifeanyi Onyebuchi, Sodiq Ismaila and Waliu Ojetoye, while Papa Daniel Mustapha, Saviour Isaac and Collins Ugwueze will have to contend with Wilfred Ndidi, Frank Onyeka and Chrisantus Uche in midfield.

At the fore, Ahmed Musa, Adamu Abubakar and Sikiru Alimi are up against Samuel Chukwueze, Moses Simon, Cyriel Dessers, Nathan Tella, Tolu Arokodare and Kelechi Iheanacho.

The Unity Cup Tournament, involving Nigeria, Jamaica, Ghana and Trinidad and Tobago, will be staged at the 17,250-capacity Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford, West London. The tournament will kick off with the first semi-final on Tuesday, May 27, as Trinidad & Tobago tackle Jamaica in the first-ever ‘Trini-Jam’ on UK soil. The following day, three-time African champions Nigeria will take on four-time African champions Ghana in the second semi-final, which will come with all the intrigues and variables of a 74-year rivalry between the two continental giants.

All four teams will return on Saturday, May 31, for the grand finale, with the losers of the semi-final fixtures featuring in the third-place game, before the Final to determine The Unity Cup 2025 champions.

Meanwhile, for the friendly with Russia’s senior men team at the Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow on Friday, June 6, Chelle has picked a total of 21 players, with captain William Ekong, fellow defenders Olaoluwa Aina and Bright Osayi-Samuel, midfielders Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Raphael Onyedika, and forwards Victor Boniface and Sadiq Umar joining a number of picks from the Unity Cup cohort.