Gernot Rohr Snubs Osimhen, Names Super Eagles’ 2 Most Important Players
- Former Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr has named the two most important players in the squad
- Rohr is the longest-serving Nigerian national team head coach ever, managing from 2016 to 2021
- The Franco-German head coach snubbed Victor Osimhen as one of the top 2 key players in the team
Former Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr has named the two most important players in the Nigerian national team ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Nigeria faces a difficult but not impossible task of qualifying for the 2026 Mundial scheduled to be played in the USA, Canada and Mexico after a poor start to the campaign.
Source: Getty Images
The Super Eagles started the campaign with draws against Lesotho, Zimbabwe and South Africa before losing 2-1 to Gernot Rohr's Benin Republic, the result that led to Finidi George's departure.
Augustine Eguavoen, the technical director of the Nigerian Football Federation, coached the team through the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The Federation appointed former Malian international Eric Chelle in January, and he was saddled with the responsibility of turning around the qualifying campaign.
AS noted by Super Eagles's on X, Chelle will coach his first two games during the March international break against Rwanda and Benin Republic for a chance to make an impression in the qualifiers.
Rohr names Super Eagles’ best players
Former coach Gernot Rohr has singled out two players as the best in the Nigerian national team, snubbing the most popular star, Victor Osimhen.
Rohr knows the team in and out, having coached the team for the longest time in history between 2016 and 2021, and with not many changes since he left, he has named the top two players.
“For games like this, you need your best players available. It is the same for most teams because some players make the difference. If you look at Nigeria for instance, despite having so many quality players, they hardly play well without the duo of Ademola Lookman and Moses Simon”, he said, as quoted by OwnGoal Nigeria.
He further explained that the duo’s creativity and goal-scoring abilities make them stand out for the team as it helps in the final third.
Source: Getty Images
“You see Simon can create dangerous situations while Lookman can score from the tightest of spaces. It’s the same for many teams around the world,” he concluded.
Both are versatile attackers who can play across both wings and cut in to their strong foot to create chances or score goals.
Lookman is the reigning African Footballer of the Year and won the award after scoring a hat trick in the UEFA Europa League final and helping Nigeria reach AFCON 2023 final.
Simon, who was the first player to welcome Eric Chelle on social media, is joint top for the most assists in the French Ligue 1 this season.
Rohr advises Super Eagles
Legit.ng previously reported that Rohr advised Nigeria on what to do to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite having three points from the first four games.
The manager who guided Nigeria to qualify for the 2018 edition in Russia admitted that it is difficult from where they are but have a chance not to miss out on two consecutive tournaments.
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Source: Legit.ng
