‘Ndidi is already the captain’ - Oliseh backs Super Eagles midfielder to dethrone Ekong as captain

Ekong has been the captain of the Super Eagles team for a couple of years now and led them to the 2023 AFCON final.

However, he has seen his game time limited in the team, with the likes of Benjamin Fedrick, Semi Ajayi and others starting ahead of him.

Due to this, Ndidi has led the team as captain in their last two qualifying games and has been backed by Oliseh to lead the side at AFCON 

With the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco approaching, Oliseh weighed in on the team's leadership, stating that the Besiktas star has consistently shown the necessary qualities for the role.

"At the moment, I think nobody doubts the respect the players have for Ndidi. And he's a player that plays every game," Oliseh remarked on his podcast, Oliseh Insight.

"I am not trying to push for who is going to be captain, but I think Ndidi is already the captain anyway because he captained the last game," he added.

"On the player's side, this is where whoever is the leader of the team... has to show the Oliseh-Keshi leadership," he explained. 

"That is, don't wait for the NFF to start calling the players to come to camp. You, as a captain, like I used to do and what Keshi used to do, you call the players privately."

He elaborated that an effective captain should coordinate with teammates to ensure early arrival for training camps, fostering unity and maximising preparation time.

"We are resuming on the ninth. I have already arranged with my club, I should be there on the eighth. 

As a captain, I will be there on the ninth. Please make sure you're there on the ninth... that way you already have the first training session as a group," Oliseh said.