Victor Osimhen may be Nigeria’s biggest football star and one of Africa’s deadliest strikers, but former Super Eagles midfielder Mutiu Adepoju believes the Napoli forward is still not ready to wear the captain’s armband.
The debate over who should lead the Super Eagles has intensified following the international departures of long-serving leaders William Troost-Ekong and Ahmed Musa. For many Nigerians, Osimhen appeared to be the obvious choice. He scores goals, inspires teammates with his relentless energy, and carries the hopes of millions whenever he steps onto the pitch, however, according to Adepoju, leadership in football demands much more than talent and passion.
“Leadership Requires More Than Talent”
Speaking on the issue, the former Nigerian international insisted that captaining the Super Eagles is about character, emotional intelligence, and the ability to unite a team under pressure.
“Leadership requires more than talent,” Adepoju said.
“A captain must possess playing quality, leadership ability, emotional control, and the capacity to represent and unite the team both on and off the pitch.” The former midfielder believes that while Osimhen possesses unquestionable football qualities, he still needs to improve in managing his emotions during tense moments.
Adepoju referenced the public disagreement between Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations as an example of why he feels the striker is not yet ready for the responsibility of leading the national team.
According to him, disagreements between teammates should never escalate on the pitch.
“I did not approve of the way Victor Osimhen reacted. He should have controlled his emotions,” Adepoju explained.
“The teammate involved, Ademola Lookman, had even provided him with two assists in that match. Situations like that should not escalate on the field because both players could have been sent off.”
For Adepoju, the incident highlighted an important aspect of leadership: remaining calm when emotions are running high.
Nobody can question Osimhen’s commitment to Nigeria.
The 27-year-old forward plays every game with intensity, fights for every ball, and celebrates every goal as though it is his first. Those qualities have made him a fan favourite and one of the most feared forwards in world football, but Adepoju believes passion alone cannot make a captain.
“He is a passionate and determined fighter on the pitch, always eager to score. However, beyond those qualities, he must remain calm and disciplined. Players are role models, and younger generations are watching.” The message is simple: great players do not automatically become great captains.
Despite the concerns surrounding his leadership credentials, Osimhen’s importance to the Super Eagles remains beyond dispute.
Since making his senior debut in 2017, the striker has scored 35 goals in just 46 appearances for Nigeria. Those numbers place him second on the Super Eagles’ all-time goalscoring chart and firmly establish him as one of the country’s greatest forwards, whenever Nigeria need goals, Osimhen often delivers.
His goals powered the Super Eagles through major qualification campaigns and helped keep the team competitive during difficult periods. At club level, he has also developed into one of Europe’s elite strikers, attracting interest from some of the biggest teams on the continent.
Perhaps for the very reasons Adepoju highlighted, head coach Eric Chelle opted to hand the captaincy to Wilfred Ndidi, with Osimhen and Moses Simon serving as vice-captains, Ndidi brings calmness, experience, and a composed personality that naturally commands respect in the dressing room. He leads quietly but effectively, often allowing his performances and attitude to speak for him, that decision does not necessarily close the door on Osimhen’s captaincy ambitions, instead, it may simply be a matter of timing.
Victor Osimhen is already one of the finest players to wear the green and white jersey. His goals, commitment, and fighting spirit have made him the face of modern Nigerian football, but captaincy carries a different weight, it demands emotional control, patience, and the ability to keep the team united in moments of adversity. Those are qualities that often come with maturity and experience.
At 27, Osimhen still has time on his side. If he continues to grow both as a player and as a leader, the Super Eagles armband may eventually find its way onto his arm, for now, however, Adepoju believes Nigeria’s biggest star still has one more lesson to learn: sometimes, the loudest leaders are not the ones who shout the most, but the ones who remain calm when the pressure is at its highest.
