Three Super Eagles players, Troost Ekong, Ola Aina, and Ademola Lookman have been nominated for the 2023 African Cup of Nations team of the tournament.
Troost Ekong led the team to their 8th finals in history, featuring in all Super Eagles AFCON games except for the third group A game against Guinea-Bissau, where Nigeria won 1-0. He scored three goals in the campaign, making him the highest-scoring defender in the tournament’s history with a total of 5 goals. He was also voted the tournament’s best player.
Ademola Lookman played a crucial role for the Super Eagles, scoring three goals in 7 games, the highest by any Nigerian player in the tournament.
Ola Aina, the Nottingham Forest full-back, delivered impressive performances that helped Nigeria reach the final. Despite his usual position as a left-back with Forest, Aina excelled as a right-back for Nigeria.
Other players selected for the tournament’s team were three from Côte d’Ivoire (Franck Kessie, Jean Michael Seri, Ghislani Konan), two from South Africa (Ronwen Williams, Teboho Mokoena), two from DR Congo (Yoane Wissa, Chancel Mbemba), and Emilio Nsue from Equatorial Guinea.
The interim head coach of Côte d’Ivoire leads the team of the season, guiding the Elephants to their third title, despite progressing to the round of 16 as one of the best third-place teams.
