Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has dismissed any claims that the team is over-reliant on leading forward Victor Osimhen, Afrosport reports.
Osimhen scored a brace last Friday as Nigeria clinched a 2-0 victory over Rwanda at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali in matchday five in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
The former African Footballer of the Year, who was playing in his first game in the World Cup qualifiers having missed the previous four games, took his international tally to 25 goals, placing him second behind only the great Rashidi Yekini on the country’s all-time goalscoring chart.
Without Osimhen, the Super Eagles failed to register a win in Group C, drawing their first three games before suffering a defeat against Benin in Abidjan.
In his pre-match conference in Uyo on Monday ahead of the Super Eagles matchday six clash against the Warriors of Zimbabwe, Troost-Ekong downplayed such claims, insisting that the team does not depend on any single player.
“When the team plays well together, every individual shines,” the 31-year-old said. “Even if you look at the Rwanda game, you have to highlight more than just Victor Osimhen’s performance.
“I think almost every player played his role. The substitutes contributed as well, and even players who featured out of position, like [Alhassan] Yusuf made an impact.
“There are different factors at play, so I don’t think it’s fair to say we rely on one player—that’s not the mentality of the team.
“We work hard together, we support each other, and when we do that, we achieve more as a team.”
