During Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign in Morocco, Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle talked about an emotional conversation with Victor Osimhen that brought him to tears.
During Osimhen’s injury struggles, Chelle recounted a touching discussion she had with the striker prior to Nigeria’s third-place playoff match against Egypt on RMC Sport’s After Foot.
I informed him that we had to aim for third place at all costs. However, I could see that he was hurt and that nothing was going smoothly. “I’m proud of what you’ve done since I took over this team,” I said to him. Whatever happens in your life, you may contact me and I’ll come if you ever need me,” Chelle remarked.
He disclosed that he was moved to tears by Osimhen’s remark, calling it one of the most poignant moments in his management career.
According to Chelle, “He said to me, ‘Coach, you may have been a small coach, but now you are a great coach.'” That’s when I started crying. To be honest, it was challenging to continue with training after that.
Osimhen put up a terrific display, scoring four goals and dishing out two assists in six games, while suffering a hamstring ailment throughout the tournament. He was selected to the CAF Team of the Tournament as a result of his performances.
Nigeria had a continuous winning streak in the AFCON 2025 competition.
After defeating Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda to win their group, the Super Eagles defeated Algeria 2-0 in the quarterfinals and swept over Mozambique 4-0 in the Round of 16.
After a goalless 120 minutes in Rabat, Nigeria lost to home country Morocco on penalties, ending their campaign.
After another 0-0 stalemate in Casablanca, the team rallied by defeating Egypt 4-2 on penalties to win the bronze.
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