Former Nigeria striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni believes he would struggle to score goals in the current Super Eagles team because they lack creativity.
Aiyegbeni, who played for the national team between 2000 and 2012, was reflecting on the Super Eagles’ performance in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers when he made the comments.
In eight matches, Eric Chelle’s men have scored nine goals, conceding seven, as they sit in a precarious third position in the qualifying series and are on the verge of missing out on a second consecutive World Cup appearance.
The 42-year-old attributed the team’s difficulty in securing a 2026 World Cup ticket to their lack of creativity.
“When we look at the team, we have too many defensive midfielders. We don’t have a creative midfielder. If I play in this team, I’ll struggle to score goals. I’m telling you because when you look at Osimhen when he plays, he’s fighting because he knows already,” Aiyegbeni said on Sunday Oliseh’s podcast.
We don’t have a midfielder who can pass the ball. We always pass the ball sideways. We cannot string six passes or seven passes. When we pass the ball a bit, then we kick it long. We cannot build a team like this.”
Aiyegbeni is Nigeria’s fourth all-time goal scorer with 21 goals in 55 appearances.
He made his full international debut on April 22, 2000, in a 4–0 home win in Lagos against Eritrea in the qualification for the 2002 African Cup of Nations. He also scored his first international goal in an away win against Namibia on June 16, 2001, in the same qualification campaign.
