Wrexham and Super Eagles goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo has revealed his all time Nigeria XI, a team that rewards modern era stars and largely reflects the football he grew up watching, with some choices that Nigerian fans of an older generation will find very difficult to accept.
Okonkwo, 24, only recently committed his international future to Nigeria after completing his nationality switch from England, and his first Super Eagles camp is now underway in London ahead of the Unity Cup semi final against Zimbabwe on Tuesday. Asked by the NFF’s official channels to name his all time Super Eagles team, the Wrexham keeper produced a selection that speaks to a very specific footballing education, one shaped by YouTube compilations and the golden era of Nigerian football in the 2010s rather than direct experience of the 1990s greats. As reported by FootballInNigeria.com.ng, the picks immediately generated debate across Nigerian football social media, with Nwankwo Kanu’s exclusion the most discussed omission of the lot.
In goal, Okonkwo went with Vincent Enyeama, a decision few would argue with. The former Lille keeper captained Nigeria to the 2013 AFCON title in South Africa, went 1,143 minutes without conceding in Ligue 1 during the 2014-15 season, and remains Africa’s highest scoring goalkeeper. His reflexes at the peak of his powers were extraordinary, and his penalty-saving record for the Super Eagles across two decades of service makes him the only realistic choice for any serious all time Nigeria XI. Fans who want to follow Okonkwo’s own debut performances for Nigeria at the Unity Cup can check the Bet9ja Unity Cup offer page ahead of Tuesday’s semi-final.
A Modern Defence With One Classic Touch
Okonkwo’s defensive line is almost entirely drawn from the last decade of Nigerian football. Ola Aina at right back and Calvin Bassey at centre back are both current squad members, while William Troost-Ekong, who retired from international football just before the 2025 AFCON, was only recently active. Elderson Echejile, the left back, is the oldest choice in the entire team, having made his name during Nigeria’s 2013 AFCON campaign and his spell with Monaco in France. His inclusion at the expense of players like Celestine Babayaro, who won Olympic gold at Atlanta 1996, or Taribo West, one of the most combative centre-backs Nigeria has produced, will raise eyebrows.
The midfield pairing of Wilfred Ndidi and John Obi Mikel is a defensively conservative but technically sound choice. Ndidi’s ball winning at Leicester City made him one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League for several consecutive seasons, while Mikel’s role at Chelsea, particularly in their Champions League-winning campaign of 2011-12, demonstrated that he could operate at the highest level when the tactical demands suited him. The notable exclusion is Sunday Oliseh, whose goal against Spain at the 1998 World Cup remains one of the greatest strikes ever scored by a Nigerian player and whose combination of engine, vision and physicality gave him a strong claim for any all time Nigerian midfield. Nigerian fans who want to debate the picks and back the Super Eagles at the Unity Cup can also use the Bet9ja’s YOHAIG promo code for an enhanced opening offer.
The Kanu Question and the Modern Attack
The most contentious decision in Okonkwo’s entire team is the omission of Nwankwo Kanu from the attack. Kanu won the UEFA Champions League with Ajax in 1995, the FA Cup twice with Arsenal, the Olympics in 1996 and the Africa Cup of Nations twice with Nigeria, in 1994 and 2013 as a selector. He is one of the most decorated Nigerian players in history and his technical skill, particularly his ability to control the ball in tight spaces and finish with either foot from unlikely angles, was something Nigeria have never quite replicated. Leaving him out in favour of the current generation is a statement that says more about Okonkwo’s age than it does about football history.
In Kanu’s place, Okonkwo named Victor Osimhen as his striker, Ademola Lookman on the right and Victor Moses on the left. Osimhen’s inclusion is completely justified on his record alone, 22 Süper Lig goals this season, a Champions League hat-trick against Ajax, the all time Galatasaray foreign scorer record and a return rate for Nigeria that makes him the most prolific Super Eagles striker of the last decade. Lookman’s place is earned on the back of his 2023-24 Serie A best player season and his hat trick in the Europa League final. Moses is a more unusual pick given Nigeria’s attacking options across the eras, but his AFCON 2013 campaign under Stephen Keshi was genuinely outstanding, and for someone of Okonkwo’s generation, Moses in that tournament represents a defining national team memory. Those debating whether Kanu deserves a place can place a symbolic bet on the best Nigeria XI ever assembled by visiting the Bet9ja promo code page for the latest offers.
Okonkwo is now part of the Super Eagles setup himself, with his first senior camp underway in London. He brings a young goalkeeper’s perspective to Nigerian football history, and while his all-time XI will frustrate fans who lived through the class of 1994 and 1996, it is also a reminder of how rich Nigeria’s footballing heritage has become, rich enough that a 24 year old can build an entire team of players he has personally watched and still leave out some of the greatest African footballers of the last 40 years.
📌 Did You Know?
- Vincent Enyeama’s run of 1,143 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal in Ligue 1 during the 2014-15 season is still a French top flight record. He surpassed the previous record held by Monaco’s Stéphane Ruffier and was only stopped when he was beaten by a deflected cross shot from Rennes.
- Nwankwo Kanu, who Okonkwo controversially left out of his team, is the only Nigerian player to have won the UEFA Champions League, the Olympic gold medal and the Africa Cup of Nations. He achieved all three within a five year period between 1994 and 1999, a run that remains unmatched in Nigerian football history.
- Jay-Jay Okocha, whose place in the attacking midfield role Okonkwo had little hesitation filling, was named in the CAF African Footballer of the Year top three three times during his career and is widely considered the most technically gifted Nigerian footballer ever produced. His nutmeg on goalkeeper Harald Schumacher during a Bundesliga match remains one of the most replayed moments in German football history.
- Elderson Echejile, Okonkwo’s left-back choice, was part of the Nigeria squad that won the 2013 AFCON in South Africa and played for Monaco in Ligue 1 during one of the most competitive periods in the club’s modern history. He won the Liga Portugal title with Sporting CP in 2021-22 before retiring.
- Arthur Okonkwo stands at 1.98 metres, making him one of the tallest goalkeepers ever to represent the Super Eagles. He joined Wrexham from Arsenal’s academy in 2023 and helped the Welsh club win promotion to the Championship in consecutive seasons under Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s ownership.
- Victor Moses, who features in Okonkwo’s attack, won the 2013 AFCON with Nigeria and went on to win the Premier League title with Chelsea in 2016-17 after being reinvented as a right wing-back by Antonio Conte. He is one of only three Nigerian players to have won both a Premier League title and an AFCON title.
- Sunday Oliseh, who Okonkwo left out of his midfield despite many fans considering him essential to any all time Nigeria XI, scored one of the most famous goals in Super Eagles history when he drove a 30 yard shot into the top corner against Spain at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. Nigeria won that match 3-2 and qualified from their group.
