Super Eagles striker Akor Adams has spoken warmly about Wilfred Ndidi’s leadership at AFCON 2025, calling the Besiktas midfielder’s captaincy “amazing” both on and off the pitch as Nigeria came home from Morocco with bronze.
Adams Gives Ndidi His Flowers
Akor Adams knows what it takes to perform under pressure. The Sevilla striker scored twice at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, so when he speaks about what made Nigeria’s campaign work, his words carry weight. And right now, Adams is pointing squarely at his captain.
“Wilfred did an amazing job as captain, on the pitch and off the pitch,” Adams told Sporty TV. “Victor Osimhen as well, he is the second captain, and Moses Simon as well.”
It’s a generous assessment, but not an empty one. The Super Eagles reached the semi-finals of AFCON 2025 before falling to hosts Morocco, then bounced back to defeat Egypt 4-2 on penalties to clinch third place. They returned home with bronze and a tournament record 14 goals. More than any Nigerian squad had ever managed at a single AFCON.
A Captain Born Out of Necessity
Ndidi’s path to the armband wasn’t exactly conventional. He inherited it just weeks before the tournament after long-serving captain William Troost-Ekong announced his international retirement in early December 2025. There was barely time to settle into the role before Nigeria’s opening game in Fez.
But Ndidi handled it. He rallied his teammates during a bonus payment dispute early in the tournament, at one point reportedly offering to personally cover the bonuses that had not arrived from the football authorities. That kind of gesture tells you everything about the man’s character.
“Wilfred did an amazing job as captain, on the pitch and off the pitch. Victor Osimhen, as well, is the second captain, and Moses Simon as well.”
— Akor Adams, Super Eagles striker
On the pitch, Ndidi was his usual imperious self in midfield. He broke up play, protected the defence, and set the tone for Nigeria’s pressing and transition. Coach Eric Chelle’s system needed a disciplined operator in the middle, and Ndidi gave him exactly that.
The Leadership Triangle That Held Nigeria Together
What Adams describes is, in fact, a three-man leadership structure. Ndidi as captain. Osimhen as vice-captain. Simon is the experienced voice in the final third. Three players, three different personalities, one shared purpose.
Osimhen was Nigeria’s most dangerous attacker throughout, scoring in the quarter-final win over Algeria. Simon was tireless on the flanks and brought energy every time he entered the pitch. And Ndidi was the anchor that kept everything connected.
Nigeria went into the tournament without Troost-Ekong, without the familiar armband leadership they’d relied on for years. That they finished third in a 24-team competition, scoring more goals than any Super Eagles side in AFCON history, says a lot about how quickly Ndidi made the captaincy his own.
Nigeria at AFCON 2025 (Morocco) — Key Stats:
- Third-place finish, defeating Egypt 4-2 on penalties
- 14 goals scored — a new Super Eagles record at a single AFCON
- Reached the semi-finals before losing to hosts Morocco
- Akor Adams scored twice during the group stage and knockout rounds
- First AFCON under coach Eric Chelle
Ndidi the Leader: Beyond the Super Eagles
Ndidi’s captaincy story doesn’t start or end in Morocco. When he joined Besiktas as a free agent from Leicester City last summer, the Turkish club named him vice-captain almost immediately. That’s two different organisations, in two different countries, trusting the same player with their armband within months of each other. That doesn’t happen by accident.
Ndidi has always been a player who leads by example rather than by noise. He doesn’t make grand speeches. He makes tackles. He covers ground. He turns up on the biggest occasions. Adams clearly sees all of that, and so do his teammates.
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📊 Editorial Perspective
The debate around who should captain the Super Eagles is one that Nigerian football fans never really stop having. Some felt Troost-Ekong’s sudden retirement before a major tournament was a body blow. Others believed Ndidi, as the team’s most consistent performer over the past decade, was always the natural successor.
What AFCON 2025 showed is that Ndidi doesn’t just play well under pressure. He leads well under it. His willingness to absorb the bonus payment issue, his on-pitch composure against Morocco, his communication with players like Adams, Simon, and Osimhen — all of it points to a captain who brought the team together at a difficult time. A third-place finish with a record goal tally isn’t a consolation prize. Under those circumstances, it’s actually a serious achievement.
What Comes Next for Ndidi’s Captaincy
The Super Eagles now turn their attention to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification. Nigeria’s campaign is at a delicate stage, and Ndidi’s leadership will be needed just as much in the qualifiers as it was at AFCON.
Coach Eric Chelle has built something at the Super Eagles. The attacking football, the record goal tally, and the spirit Adams described in his interview. Ndidi is the spine of that project. He’s 29, experienced, fit, and now a tournament-tested captain.
Adams himself looks set to play a big role going forward. The Sevilla striker returned from AFCON and scored twice for his club within days of arriving back in Spain. A player in that kind of form, playing under a captain he clearly believes in, is a dangerous combination for opposing defences.
📌 Did You Know?
- Ndidi was named Besiktas vice-captain almost immediately after joining the Turkish club as a free agent from Leicester City in the summer of 2025, making him a captain figure at both club and international level simultaneously.
- Nigeria’s 14 goals at AFCON 2025 are a new record for any Super Eagles squad at a single Africa Cup of Nations tournament, surpassing previous campaigns in which the team was often criticised for a lack of firepower.
- Akor Adams, born on 29 January 2000, plays his club football for Sevilla in La Liga. He returned from AFCON 2025 and scored twice for Sevilla in his first appearance back, showing his form was unaffected by the tournament workload.
- William Troost-Ekong, who had captained the Super Eagles for several years, announced his international retirement in early December 2025, just weeks before AFCON 2025 kicked off on 21 December 2025 in Morocco.
- Ndidi reportedly offered to personally pay the Super Eagles players’ outstanding bonuses during a financial dispute midway through the tournament, a gesture that became one of the most talked-about leadership moments of the competition.
- Former Super Eagles captain and manager Sunday Oliseh had publicly backed Ndidi to lead the team before AFCON 2025, saying Nigeria could go far if he was given the armband. The bronze medal ultimately proved him right.
- Nigeria defeated Egypt 4-2 on penalties in the third-place play-off at AFCON 2025. It was a rematch of historical significance, as Nigeria and Egypt have clashed at multiple AFCONs over the decades in some of the continent’s most charged rivalries.
