Ahmed Musa, captain of Nigeria’s national football team, the Super Eagles, has denied rumours that he has retired from international football, Soccernet.ng reports.
Musa did not play in any of Nigeria’s seven matches at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), where the team finished as runners-up.
The former CSKA Moscow star last started a game for the Super Eagles in 2021 during a World Cup qualifier against Cape Verde, playing for 67 minutes in a 2-0 win. His most recent appearance was a brief seven-minute stint in a friendly match against Guinea in January, just before the AFCON began.
Adding to the speculation about his retirement, Musa has been without a club since he mutually ended his contract with Turkish side Sivasspor in February. He was also not included in Nigeria’s international friendlies in March or the World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic in June.
Despite these developments, Musa insists he is still committed to the national team. In an interview with journalists in Kaduna after a friendly match he organised, Musa called the rumours of his retirement unfounded.
“I only took a little break from the national team. But I didn’t exit the team,” the ex-Leicester City winger clarified, as per the Leadership, aiming to reassure fans about his future with the Super Eagles.
Ahmed Musa
Musa began his career at GBS Football Academy and made his professional debut with JUTH F.C. in 2008. He later played for Kano Pillars, setting a record for the most goals in a single season in the Nigeria Premier League until 2011.
Internationally, Musa became the first Nigerian to score multiple goals in a FIFA World Cup match, netting twice against Argentina in 2014, and he repeated this feat in 2018 against Iceland. With 108 caps, Musa is Nigeria’s most capped player.
Throughout his career, Musa has played in the Netherlands, England, Russia, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, winning trophies on three continents.
He lifted the 2013 AFCON with Nigeria, three Russian Premier League titles with CSKA Moscow, and the Saudi league and Super Cup with Al Nassr.
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