Igoh Ogbu has reflected on his time with the Super Eagles at the recently concluded 2025 AFCON tournament, labeling it one of the most memorable moments of his career, SportPremi reports.
The Slavia Prague defender made his major tournament debut for Nigeria at the tournament and featured three times during the course of the tournament.
The 25-year-old played the entire 90 minutes in the 3-1 win over Uganda in the Super Eagles final group match and was also on the pitch for the entire time during the bronze medal win over Egypt.
Despite falling short of winning the tournament, Nigeria enjoyed a very remarkable campaign in Morocco, clinching a record ninth bronze medal.
The three-time champions also scored the most goals of any nation at the tournament (14) and had the largest margin of victory, their 4-0 win over Mozambique during the Round of 16.
Ogbu opens up on AFCON 2025
Igoh Ogbu made his debut for Nigeria in May last year and earned a spot in Eric Chelle’s final list for the 2025 African Cup of Nations tournament.
Speaking during an interview, the defender was proud to have donned the colours of the Super Eagles on the biggest football stage on the continent.
“For me, I think being part of this team is one of the greatest things to have happened to me. I am just proud to be called up by Nigeria and winning a medal in my first appearance. It is a thing of joy, a thing many people wish for”, the defender stated.
“Unfortunately we did not win the title, but for every competition we play the target is to win it. Like the Bible says, we should give God thanks, and that is what we are here to do. I am just proud to be a Nigerian. I am hoping and believing that there will be greater and more exciting things to achieve with the national team. I am excited. It is left for me to keep working hard at my game, giving my best and hoping to get more invitations in the future.
“For me, if the NFF are able to keep this amazing team, this great team we have here, I am not going to lie – the coaches, the technical crew, the way they handle everything is amazing. I believe if the team is given more chances, they can take things a notch higher”, Ogbu continued.
“The quality, the intensity, the perseverance – it is not just playing for Nigeria. You can see that the football is being restored, that you can watch Nigeria and be happy. That is the most important thing. From the bench to those they bring on, the professionalism is something you can’t describe. For me, there was a lot to learn at the tournament. At the end, I am happy and grateful, and we just have to keep pushing, trust in God for better tournaments and make Nigerians happy.” he concluded.
The 25-year-old has returned to club duties and will be in contention to play in Slavia Prague’s final UCL league-phase match of the season against Pafos on Wednesday.
