Goal Nigeria Player of the Year: Candidates for the Super Eagles in 2016Which of the candidates for the Goal Nigeria POTY could establish themselves in the national side this year? GOAL COMMENT By Solomon Fowowe Follow on Twitter Intriguingly, a number of the nominees for the Goal Nigeria Player of the Year award aren't regular figures in the Super Eagles team. After their moments of awe-inspiring brilliance and world-beating class, the cap-less and forlornly forgotten must surely be asking what they need to do to break into the Nigeria squad. Iheanacho, Simon, Osimhen: 10 Nigerian prospects to watch in 2016 CLICK HERE TO READ MORE 2016 is fraught with important games, including World Cup Qualifiers and Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers for the Super Eagles, and will be a big year for Nigeria. Coach Sunday Oliseh will be loath to follow in the footsteps of Samson Siasia and Stephen Keshi, managers who missed out on Cup of Nations qualification in 2012 and 2014 respectively. To avoid this ignominy, he needs his best players on board to ensure the Eagles' participation at the continental showpiece and to guarantee that Nigeria rise back up the Fifa footballing ladder. Which of Goal Nigeria's Player of the Year nominees must Oliseh turn to in order to ensure that Nigeria realise their aspirations over the coming 12 months? Fanendo Adi 6ft 4 of terrific goalscoring talent, the forward hasn't been extended an invite into the Super Eagles and he stands in the unhallowed wasteland of the cap-less. More befuddling was the fact there were little or no clamours by the media and the fans for the inclusion of the Portland Timbers player, coming in contrast to the obstreperous clamour for the recall of league compatriot Obafemi Martins. 18 goals in Major League Soccer —though wrongly impugned upon as an inferior league— certainly isn’t to be trifled with. The 25-year-old offers an aerial threat, way superior to the current Super Eagles forward options, and his ability to play with his back to goal and bring others to play is truly remarkable. He missed out on a maiden cap in 2015, but 2016 certainly holds better prospects. Gbolahan Salami With only a smattering of caps, the 24-year-old doesn’t have a strangle-hold in the Super Eagles squad…yet. He made four appearances in the colours of the Super Eagles in 2015, half of them coming in the two-legged Chan qualifier against Burkina Faso. Salami has always found himself on the fringes of the team, and despite scoring the first goal in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Chad, it wasn’t enough to earn him another call-up for the Super Eagles’ next game against Tanzania. Perhaps the forward had not done enough to convince Sunday Oliseh on his managerial debut of his mettle, but that time should come. 17 goals and a Rashidi Yekini trophy later, Salami has shown the requisite quality to lay claim as one of the first names on the list of the Super Eagles. The striker headlined the home-based Eagles collective going into the Chan tournament later this month, but has forfeited the chance to play in this competition in order to secure a move overseas. Could a transfer to Europe be the turning point that sees Salami move from being a NPFL hotshot to being a bona fide star for the Super Eagles? Chinedu Udoji The Enyimba skipper almost unbelievably hasn’t donned the jersey of the Super Eagles. Udoji is a household name in the NPFL, earning his stripes through his consistent performances over the years with the Aba side. The hard-nosed defender displays excellent leadership qualities, a trait lacking in the current crop of Super Eagles’ defenders. He was an integral part of the league’s meanest defence that conceded just 27 goals and his vocal organisation and exemplary qualities in the heart of the defence could be of great benefit to the national side. Victor Osimhen My colleague James Ezimoha once wrote that “the green-and-white is for all Nigerians, regardless of their age.” Victor Osimhen was perhaps the most interesting inclusion in the Goal Nigeria Player of the Year shortlist, and it's intriguing to imagine what he's capable of achieving with the Super Eagles. Whether the teenage wonderkid should be fast-tracked intot he national side is a debate that polarises views. The hackneyed argument of a lack of experience is oft elevated, and awkward parallels are drawn with Femi Opabunmi in a bid to kibosh the process of early promotion for any youngster. It begs the question, what criterion should be used to extend players an invitation? Experience or Footballing quality? The lithe forward blew the competition out of the water at the U-17 World Cup, shattering the record of the highest goals scored with his 10-goal salvo at the tournament. Weeks later, Osimhen was up and at it with the Dream Team VI at the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations. The youngster didn’t look out of place in the tournament whenever he was called upon. As the striker takes his deserved rest after an exhaustive period of back-to-back tournaments, while being embroiled in a transfer scuffle between top football clubs, he’d wear a smug look and whisper to himself 'the Super Eagles are next'. The prodigy is the next big thing in Nigerian football but there are fears that the strain of playing for the Super Eagles could be enormous, thereby wearing him out early. With national teams only playing a handful a games in a calendar year, and with no tourney in sight, a few cameos and games surely wouldn’t hurt the youngster, particularly if he can earn valuable experience in the process.

 

Which of the candidates for the Goal Nigeria POTY could establish themselves in the national side this year?

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COMMENT      By Solomon Fowowe      Follow on Twitter  

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Intriguingly, a number of the nominees for the Goal Nigeria Player of the Year award aren't regular figures in the Super Eagles team. After their moments of awe-inspiring brilliance and world-beating class, the cap-less and forlornly forgotten must surely be asking what they need to do to break into the Nigeria squad.

Iheanacho, Simon, Osimhen: 10 Nigerian prospects to watch in 2016

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

2016 is fraught with important games, including World Cup Qualifiers and Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers for the Super Eagles, and will be a big year for Nigeria.
Coach Sunday Oliseh will be loath to follow in the footsteps of Samson Siasia and Stephen Keshi, managers who missed out on Cup of Nations qualification in 2012 and 2014 respectively.
To avoid this ignominy, he needs his best players on board to ensure the Eagles' participation at the continental showpiece and to guarantee that Nigeria rise back up the Fifa footballing ladder.
Which of Goal Nigeria's Player of the Year nominees must Oliseh turn to in order to ensure that Nigeria realise their aspirations over the coming 12 months?

Fanendo Adi

6ft 4 of terrific goalscoring talent, the forward hasn't been extended an invite into the Super Eagles and he stands in the unhallowed wasteland of the cap-less.
More befuddling was the fact there were little or no clamours by the media and the fans for the inclusion of the Portland Timbers player, coming in contrast to the obstreperous clamour for the recall of league compatriot Obafemi Martins.
18 goals in Major League Soccer —though wrongly impugned upon as an inferior league— certainly isn’t to be trifled with.
The 25-year-old offers an aerial threat, way superior to the current Super Eagles forward options, and his ability to play with his back to goal and bring others to play is truly remarkable.
He missed out on a maiden cap in 2015, but 2016 certainly holds better prospects.

Gbolahan Salami

With only a smattering of caps, the 24-year-old doesn’t have a strangle-hold in the Super Eagles squad…yet.
He made four appearances in the colours of the Super Eagles in 2015, half of them coming in the two-legged Chan qualifier against Burkina Faso.
Salami has always found himself on the fringes of the team, and despite scoring the first goal in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Chad, it wasn’t enough to earn him another call-up for the Super Eagles’ next game against Tanzania.
Perhaps the forward had not done enough to convince Sunday Oliseh on his managerial debut of his mettle, but that time should come.
17 goals and a Rashidi Yekini trophy later, Salami has shown the requisite quality to lay claim as one of the first names on the list of the Super Eagles.
The striker headlined the home-based Eagles collective going into the Chan tournament later this month, but has forfeited the chance to play in this competition in order to secure a move overseas.
Could a transfer to Europe be the turning point that sees Salami move from being a NPFL hotshot to being a bona fide star for the Super Eagles?

Chinedu Udoji

The Enyimba skipper almost unbelievably hasn’t donned the jersey of the Super Eagles. Udoji is a household name in the NPFL, earning his stripes through his consistent performances over the years with the Aba side.
The hard-nosed defender displays excellent leadership qualities, a trait lacking in the current crop of Super Eagles’ defenders. He was an integral part of the league’s meanest defence that conceded just 27 goals and his vocal organisation and exemplary qualities in the heart of the defence could be of great benefit to the national side.

Victor Osimhen

My colleague James Ezimoha once wrote that “the green-and-white is for all Nigerians, regardless of their age.”
Victor Osimhen was perhaps the most interesting inclusion in the Goal Nigeria Player of the Year shortlist, and it's intriguing to imagine what he's capable of achieving with the Super Eagles.
Whether the teenage wonderkid should be fast-tracked intot he national side is a debate that polarises views.
The hackneyed argument of a lack of experience is oft elevated, and awkward parallels are drawn with Femi Opabunmi in a bid to kibosh the process of early promotion for any youngster.
It begs the question, what criterion should be used to extend players an invitation? Experience or Footballing quality?

The lithe forward blew the competition out of the water at the U-17 World Cup, shattering the record of the highest goals scored with his 10-goal salvo at the tournament.
Weeks later, Osimhen was up and at it with the Dream Team VI at the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations. The youngster didn’t look out of place in the tournament whenever he was called upon.
As the striker takes his deserved rest after an exhaustive period of back-to-back tournaments, while being embroiled in a transfer scuffle between top football clubs, he’d wear a smug look and whisper to himself 'the Super Eagles are next'.
The prodigy is the next big thing in Nigerian football but there are fears that the strain of playing for the Super Eagles could be enormous, thereby wearing him out early.
With national teams only playing a handful a games in a calendar year, and with no tourney in sight, a few cameos and games surely wouldn’t hurt the youngster, particularly if he can earn valuable experience in the process.