Emmanuel Amuneke has described Victor Osimhen as a “blessing to Nigeria” but he alone cannot qualify the Super Eagles to the 2026 World Cup.
Amuneke was the coach in charge when the Golden Eaglets ruled the world again in 2015 with Osimhen finishing as record goal scorer.
Osimhen has since become a top star in the world and Nigeria will again be counting on the Napoli striker to qualify the country to the next World Cup.
However, Amuneke said despite the undoubted star quality of the striker, he will need the rest of the team to ensure Nigeria feature at the World Cup.
“It was a blessing to have coached Osimhen, he’s a blessing to Nigeria, but he alone cannot qualify us to the World Cup. He needs the rest of the team to compliment his efforts,” Amuneke said on a radio interview monitored by SCORENigeria
He further said Osimhen is “on his way to surpassing the records” of the legendary Rashidi Yekini, who is the country’s all-time leading scorer with 37 goals.
The Super Eagles have been drawn against South Africa, Benin, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Lesotho in the race for a ticket to the next World Cup.
Nigeria will be the favourites to advance to the tournament proper, but former international and now top coach Amuneke has warned it will not a stroll for the three-time African champions.
“No team will make it easy for us,” warned the one-time African Footballer of the Year.
“Everybody wants to beat Nigeria and so we cannot afford to take any team for granted.”
