The man who first spotted Collins Sor at a Port Harcourt trial says the KRC Genk forward has not come close to his ceiling yet, and believes his pace and reading of the game will give Eric Chelle’s Super Eagles a new dimension in Antalya.
The coach who first scouted Collins Sor has been watching his career with quiet satisfaction for years. Paul Aigbogun, who handled the Nigeria U20 side before Sor established himself in Belgium, has come out in full support of the forward’s debut Super Eagles call-up, describing him as a player whose best football is still ahead of him. The endorsement carries weight: Aigbogun saw Sor before most people in Nigerian football had heard of him.
“I am really happy for Collins as his hard work has finally paid off with this invitation,” Aigbogun said. “He was someone I saw and scouted in Port Harcourt when we were building a team for the Africa U-20 Nations Cup, and since then he has been doing well.” That scouting trip to Port Harcourt led to Sor playing for the Flying Eagles and, eventually, to the career in Belgium that has now earned him a place in Eric Chelle’s 23-man squad for the four-nation Antalya tournament. The Super Eagles face Iran on March 27 and Jordan on March 31.
Faster Than Anyone in Belgium
Aigbogun was direct about what separates Sor from most forwards in African football right now. “He is fast, I mean very fast, and can function as a winger and striker,” he said, adding the remarkable detail that Sor had recently been clocked as the fastest player in the entire Belgian top flight. In a league that has historically produced some of Europe’s most dynamic attacking talent, that is not a minor distinction. It is the kind of attribute that makes defenders back off, creates space for teammates, and opens up entirely different tactical possibilities for a coach.
But Aigbogun was clear that pace alone does not explain the call-up. “He is not just about pace; he has good positional awareness and finishing too,” he said. In the modern game, pure pace without intelligence is a limited asset. Sor’s ability to read where space will appear, combined with the finishing to punish it when he gets there, is what makes him genuinely dangerous rather than just difficult to keep up with. Nigerian fans eager to watch Sor’s debut against Iran this Friday can check the latest match offers on the Bet9ja’s current welcome bonus page before kick-off in Antalya.
Fulfilling Potential Under Chelle
What stands out in Aigbogun’s assessment is his belief that Sor has not yet reached his ceiling. “I think he is yet to even fulfil his potential,” he said, a comment that suggests the KRC Genk forward still has development curves ahead of him that the Antalya tournament might begin to unlock at senior international level. That kind of assessment from a coach who has tracked him for years gives the call-up a different character. This is not a panic selection or a one-cap experiment. It is the recognition of a talent that has been building quietly for some time.
For Chelle, Sor represents exactly the type of profile the Super Eagles need to assess in these March friendlies. With Victor Osimhen out injured and Ademola Lookman leading the attack, the squad needs width and pace in behind. Sor can play out wide or through the middle, giving the coach flexibility on how to deploy him depending on the opponent’s shape. New Bet9ja users heading into the international break can visit the YOHAIG Bet9ja promo page for full registration details and current welcome offers.
A Scouting Story That Came Full Circle
There is something satisfying about Aigbogun’s involvement in this story. He spotted Sor at a youth trial in Port Harcourt before Sor had any professional experience. He then coached the Flying Eagles squad that gave Sor his first taste of international football at age-group level. And now, years later, he is watching the same player earn a first call-up to the senior team and backing him publicly in the press. That kind of continuity in talent development is exactly what Nigerian youth football is supposed to produce but too rarely does in such clean, traceable lines.
“He will definitely be a plus for the Super Eagles, and I am happy for him,” Aigbogun concluded. Supporters following all three of Nigeria’s debutants in Antalya, including Sor, Emmanuel Fernandez and Philip Otele, can find a full preview of how to get involved with the Bet9ja referral programme at the Bet9ja referral bonus page before Friday’s kick-off against Iran.
📌 Did You Know?
- Collins Sor was born in Rivers State and came through football academies in Port Harcourt before being scouted by Paul Aigbogun, making his journey a classic example of NPFL-adjacent talent development feeding into international football through the youth pathway rather than a European academy system.
- Paul Aigbogun guided the Nigeria U20 side to the 2019 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations title in Niger, defeating Senegal 2-0 in the final. That tournament also produced other talents who are now knocking on the door of the senior squad, making his eye for youth talent one of the more reliable in Nigerian football administration.
- KRC Genk, where Collins Sor plays his club football, has historically been one of Belgium’s most productive clubs for developing players later sold to major European leagues. Alumni include Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois and Christian Benteke, making it a credible platform for elite ambitions.
- The Belgian Pro League has been measured by UEFA’s ranking system as one of the top ten club competitions in Europe for talent production over the past decade, consistently above leagues in Turkey, Greece and Scotland despite a smaller domestic market.
- The four-nation Antalya tournament was originally scheduled to take place in Amman, Jordan, but was relocated to Turkey following escalating conflict in the Middle East region. Jordan, despite the disruption, is still one of the participating nations and will face the Super Eagles on March 31.
- Sor is one of three debutants in Chelle’s Antalya squad alongside Emmanuel Fernandez of Glasgow Rangers and Philip Otele of Hamburger SV. All three represent the emerging generation that Chelle is building around ahead of the next African World Cup qualifying cycle starting later in 2026.
- The Belgian Pro League speed records are tracked annually across all clubs using GPS data embedded in player performance vests during training and match play. Being measured as the fastest player in the entire division places Sor in company with some of the most athletically gifted forwards in European football.
