Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa says he is ‘happy’ with head coach Eric Chelle for his willingness to include home-based players in his 26-man squad for the 2025 Unity Cup in London, Afrosport reports.
Musa, who enjoyed a stellar campaign with Kano Pillars in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), makes a return to the Super Eagles team after a lengthy absence.
The 32-year-old forward is among 10 home-based players invited by Chelle to represent Nigeria at the Unity Cup – a four-nation Afro-Caribbean tournament set to kick off at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium on Tuesday.
“There are lots of home-based players in the team as you can see,” said Musa in a chat with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) media.
“I think the coach watched a lot of games in the Nigerian league and I feel very happy for them [the players]. So let’s see what will happen in the game.”
Musa, who was part of the Super Eagles team that finished second at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, added that he is happy to be back in the national team fold.
“I’m always happy whenever I get the call-up so I’m very happy to be back,” the veteran forward said.
“It has been a long time, but I don’t think there’s any difference. So, we just [have to] wait and see what is going to happen on the day of the game.”
The former CSKA Moscow and Leicester City man, meanwhile, rallied Nigerians to continue to show support for the Super Eagles amid their hunt for a ticket to the 2026 World Cup.
“I know a lot of Nigerians are very disappointed in the Super Eagles, but I will always call on them to keep supporting because that is what we need right now. Their support will make a big impact for us.”
Nigeria will navigate the 2025 Unity Cup alongside Ghana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago from 27-31 May.
The Super Eagles will battle West African rivals Ghana’s Black Stars in the second semi-final on Wednesday, 28 May, a day after Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago have faced in the tournament opener.
Both teams last met in a friendly match in March 2024, with Nigeria winning the tie 2-1 in Marrakech, Morocco.
