AFCON 2025: After Musa and Ekong, should Ndidi be the next Super Eagles captain phased out of the team?

The Super Eagles are entering a delicate transition period after the retirements of Ahmed Musa and William Troost-Ekong, two figures who shaped Nigeria’s recent AFCON cycles.

Wilfred Ndidi has now been handed the captain’s armband ahead of AFCON 2025, a decision that places both responsibility and scrutiny squarely on his shoulders.

At 29, Ndidi sits at an awkward crossroads between experience and physical decline, especially in a squad beginning to tilt younger.

With Nigeria targeting a deep run in Morocco, the debate is no longer about trust alone, but about timing, performance, and the future shape of the team.

Wilfred Ndidi’s elevation to Super Eagles captaincy did not come out of nowhere. He had already worn the armband on several occasions when Ahmed Musa and William Troost-Ekong were unavailable, gradually becoming a familiar authority figure within the squad.

Following the retirements of both former captains, the Nigeria Football Federation moved quickly, announcing Ndidi’s appointment via the national team’s official channels.

His reaction was measured and aware of the weight attached to the role, stressing unity and smooth adaptation rather than personal status.

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The decision came after the unexpected nature of Troost-Ekong’s exit. Named in the preliminary AFCON squad, Ekong stepped away weeks before the tournament, following a stretch where he had increasingly lost his starting place.

His last competitive appearance as captain came during the World Cup playoff defeat to DR Congo, a match in which he remained unused even through extra time and penalties, despite being Nigeria’s go-to spot-kick specialist.

Musa’s departure, by contrast, had been slow and inevitable. After spending the entirety of the 2023 AFCON on the bench, Musa’s last appearance for Nigeria came after 12 matches where he was not called up, and spanned only 28 minutes in the Unity Cup win over Ghana.

After the match against Ghana, Musa jetted off to get before the Cup final against Jamaica, and was not called up for the next 12 matches before finally accepting his fate and retiring after missing out on the 2025 AFCON squad.

Troost-Ekong retired at 32, Ahmed Musa at 33 (although he had been out of reckoning since he was 31), and, at 29, the search for Ndidi’s long-term replacement should begin in earnest, considering he is already beginning to show similar signs of physical decline as the past two captains.

To borrow a phrase from Liverpool’s Arne Slot, Ndidi “has been found at the crime scene” a few times, particularly during decisive World Cup qualifying fixtures where Nigeria struggled to control the midfield.

During the draw against Zimbabwe in Uyo, which took World Cup qualification out of Nigeria’s hands, Ndidi failed to track Tawanda Chirewa’s late run into the box, allowing the midfielder to ghost past him before beating Troost-Ekong and Stanley Nwabali.

Matters worsened in the playoff final against DR Congo, where a poor first touch turned a manageable cross into a gift chance for Meschak Elia to equalise for the Leopards.

Such errors have fuelled doubts about Ndidi’s sharpness when games stretch beyond structured phases, and consequently about his future with the Super Eagles.

Statistically, his limitations in possession have also come under the microscope. Over the past year, Ndidi has recorded the lowest pass accuracy among current Super Eagles players at 80%, despite attempting relatively few risky passes or passes over 30 yards.

In a side increasingly reliant on midfield circulation to release wide attackers like Lookman and Chukwueze, those numbers raise uncomfortable questions about balance and sustainability.

For all the criticism, Ndidi remains Nigeria’s most effective ball-winner by a clear margin. His defensive output continues to stand out not just domestically but across Europe.

Over the last year, he ranks above the 90th percentile for tackles attempted, tackles won, interceptions, defensive-third recoveries, and shots blocked, per 90 minutes in Europe. Those numbers explain why elite clubs continued to monitor him before his move to Besiktas.

Within Eric Chelle’s system, Ndidi’s profile remains unique. At the base of midfield, he provides the platform that allows more adventurous players to operate higher up the pitch.

Even when his passing draws criticism, his ability to halt counter-attacks and regain territorial control often prevents defensive collapse.

Crucially, Nigeria lack a like-for-like replacement with his defensive instincts and experience combined. Dropping Ndidi outright would require a structural rethink rather than a simple personnel swap.

That reality complicates any conversation about phasing him out before AFCON 2025, especially in a tournament environment where game control often trumps aesthetic dominance.

Nigeria has an exciting crop of midfielders pushing to break into the first team, but while midfield depth is improving, most alternatives bring different strengths rather than direct solutions.

Pisa’s 20-year old Akinsanmiro continues to impress in the Serie A, but is more of a box-crashing box-to-box midfielder.

Raphael Onyedika is arguably Nigeria’s best in-possession midfielder outside Alex Iwobi. But would most likely struggle in the base of midfield if he gets tasked with core defensive work in addition to the excellent ball circulation he does regularly for Club Brugge.

Frank Onyeka has been used as a makeshift replacement for Ndidi in the past to some success, but, like Akinsanmiro is better suited to a more volatile role.

That leaves the only Nigerian midfielder with More recoveries than Moises Caicedo, more touches and passes than Adam Wharton, and fewer miscontrols than Pedri per 90 minutes in the past year, Tochukwu Nnadi.

Although playing for the less recognisable Zulte Waregem, Nnadi’s debut for Nigeria against Egypt was promising, showing what he can bring to the national team.

Nnadi is defensively solid and the closest profile to Ndidi defensively, while being arguably a better midfielder in possession.

He’s no Onyedika or Iwobi on the ball, but he takes more touches, more touches in the middle third, attempts and completes more passes than any other Super Eagles midfielder bar those two. His 71% long ball accuracy is first-class, especially considering he averages nearly eight attempts per game. For comparison, Ndidi attempts 2.52, with a 54.8% accuracy.

Nnadi’s 3.56 tackles+interceptions per 90 minutes over the last year is only behind Ndidi in Nigeria’s current midfield options, same for his clearances and shots blocked, while his 61.9% success rate in challenging dribblers exceeds even Ndidi, although he makes fewer challenges on average.

Still only 22 and with a lot of room to grow, Nnadi could very well be the Lookman to Ndidi’s Musa or the Fredrick to Ndidi’s Ekong, whether at the 2025 AFCON or after it.