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“I have unflagging confidence that this team will do it again. I have been saying it for some weeks now and the belief is getting stronger…”

The post 1980 AFCON Winner Segun Odegbami Says Super Eagles Can Go All the Way in Cote d’Ivoire appeared first on Arise News.

Nigerian striker Adefolarin Durosinmi believes the Super Eagles have all it takes to win the 2023 AFCON title in Ivory Coast.

Adefolarin Durosinmi made this prediction after the Super Eagles went against all odds to defeat the hosts of the tournament, Ivory Coast, 1-0 to remain positive about progressing to the next round of the tournament.

This win came after the Eagles recorded a disappointing 1-1 draw in their opening Group A game against Equatorial Guinea on January 14.

In the game against the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire on January 18, William Troost-Ekong silenced the Ivorian supporters in the 54th minute by converting a spot-kick after Victor Osimhen was fouled in the penalty box.

The Elephants failed to muster an equalizer despite constant attempts, as the Eagles held on for a historic victory that rekindled their hopes of winning the 2023 AFCON title.

Adefolarin Durosinmi, 33, who has scored six goals in 15 games for Thailand’s top league club, Nakhon Pathom United, believes that Napoli striker, Osimhen, can lead Nigeria to a fourth AFCON title.

“It was a great win for the Eagles and that victory has sparked a lot of confidence among every Nigerian”, Durosinmi told the Punch.

“It was a spirited and professional performance from the team. They knew it wasn’t going to be easy and they were ready to fight.

“To be honest I want them to win the AFCON and I believe we can win a fourth AFCON title in Ivory Coast if they stick together like they did.”

He added, “Osimhen with the help of the team can lead the Eagles to the title.

“He has had a hand in the goals we have scored so far; he is one of the key players in the team.”

Super Eagles’ next game in the competition is against Guinea-Bissau at 6 p.m. on Monday, January 22. A draw in the game is enough to seal the Eagles’ progress to the next round.

The post Nigerian Striker, Adefolarin Durosinmi Backs Super Eagles For AFCON Title appeared first on Naija News.

One small step in the Edmonton Oilers’ franchise-record winning streak was one giant leap past the Los Angeles Kings in

As Connor McDavid goes, so go the Edmonton Oilers. Read More

The 25-year-old French superstar Kylian Mbappe has received an offer from Paris Saint-Germain for a new deal worth 100 million euros per season, according to AS.

Rayan Ait-Nouri, a 22-year-old defender for Wolves and Algeria, is being pursued by Arsenal and Liverpool, Football Transfers claimed.

Liverpool are not ready to sell Thiago Alcantara, a 32-year-old Spanish midfielder, although Flamengo of Brazil and Al-Ettifaq of the Saudi Pro League are interested in him, according to TeamTalk.

Newcastle will examine their January transfer intentions this week during a special meeting in response to the injury of their 27-year-old Brazilian midfielder Joelinton, the Guardian claimed.

Sporting CP and Sweden attacker Viktor Gyokeres, 25, is not a target for Chelsea despite speculations of a £73 million offer, the Guardian claimed.

Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford have verbally agreed to a loan deal for 27-year-old Spanish defender Sergio Reguilon, with no buyout clause, transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano claimed.

Amad Diallo, a 21-year-old winger from the Ivory Coast, has drawn interest from Middlesbrough, but Manchester United want to hold onto him after he showed promise in training, the Mail claimed.

Liverpool are still interested in the 20-year-old English defender, Levi Colwill though he just signed a long-term contract with Chelsea last summer, 90min claimed.

Joshua Zirkzee, a 22-year-old Dutch forward for Bologna, is a summer transfer target for Manchester United, according to Friedrich Plettenberg.

The 22-year-old Chelsea and Albanian forward Armando Broja is a target for Wolves. However, his future at Stamford Bridge will probably depend on whether or not they buy a striker this month, the Guardian claimed.

The post Transfer Update On Mbappe, Alcantara, Joelinton, Reguilon, Diallo, Broja, Others appeared first on Naija News.

Toronto centre Auston Matthews, who went into the game against Edmonton with 33 goals to give him 332 in 521

Former Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi has insisted that Lionel Messi deserved to win the 2023 FIFA Best Player of the Year award contrary to the opinion of most critics.

Naija News has reported that Lionel Messi was crowned the winner of the 2023 FIFA Best Player of the Year award ahead of Manchester City striker, Erling Haaland who was expected to win it.

Messi was able to take the trophy after assisting PSG to win Ligue 1 title and Inter Miami to win the Leagues Cup, within the assessment period, December 19, 2022, to August 20, 2023.

During the same period, Norwegian striker, Erling Haaland helped Manchester City to win the treble – Champions League, FA Cup, and the Premier League in his debut season at the club.

Hence, Messi’s triumph came as a surprise, especially because of his incredible season in which he won the FA Cup, the Premier League, the Champions League, and the European Golden Boot with a record-breaking 36 league goals.

Messi has now joined Luka Modric, Robert Lewandowski, and Cristiano Ronaldo as the fourth footballer to win the award three times.

In his assessment of Lionel Messi’s win over Haaland, Mikel Obi told Sky Sports that the 36-year-old Argentine forward deserves it.

The former Chelsea midfielder said, “I think he did. We’ve complained that he hasn’t won the World Cup with Argentina. That was the only question. He hadn’t won it for Argentina. Then, he won the Copa America. The same year, he won the Copa America and the World Cup. Come on.”

Obi added: “I understand that Haaland is a great player. He plays for Manchester City, a team that creates chances and wins games. They’ve lost only one in nine or 10 games. They create chances, score goals, and know how to win games without Haaland.”

The post Mikel Obi Insists Lionel Messi Deserves FIFA Best Award Ahead Of Haaland appeared first on Naija News.

“We are appealing to Nigerians from all over the world to keep supporting and believing in the team,” said defender Troost-Ekong.

The post <em>AFCON: Super </em>Eagles Look Forward To ‘Interesting Encounter’ with Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire appeared first on Arise News.

Lionel Messi almost lost the 2023 FIFA Best Men’s Player of the Year award to Erling Haaland but was saved by the votes of the national team captains.

Ahead of the award ceremony which took place in London on January 15, most football pundits believe that Haaland of Manchester City deserves to win the award over Lionel Messi.

Note that the players were nominated for the award based on their performance between December 19, 2022, and August 20, 2023.

In that time frame, the 36-year-old Messi played for two clubs, Paris Saint Germain in French Ligue 1, and Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer.

The two major titles Messi won during that period were the French Ligue 1 with PSG and the Leagues Cup with Inter Miami.

In the same period, Haaland helped Manchester City to win the historic treble which includes: the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the UEFA Champions League after scoring 53 goals throughout the 2022-2023 season.

Due to such a run, most football enthusiasts expected him to win the award but Messi beat him to it just like how the 36-year-old Argentine football icon beat the Norwegian striker to the 2023 Ballon d’Or.

After the voting process for the 2023 FIFA The Best Award, Messi got 48 votes same as Haaland. Hence, the organizers of the award had to use the number of times the two main contenders came first in the voting cards of national team captains.

Interestingly, Messi came first the most, hence he was named the winner of the award for the third time in his career.

Below are the major national team captains that voted for Lionel Messi:

1. Egypt’s captain, Mohamed Salah
2. Croatia’s captain Luka Modric
3. England’s captain Harry Kane
4. The Netherlands’ captain Virgil Van Dijk.
5. Jan Oblak, captain of Slovenia
6. Robert Lewandowski, captain of Poland
7. Gianluigi Donnaruma, captain of Italy
8. Son Heung-Min – South Korea
9. Christian Pulisic – United States Of America
10. Federico Valverde – Uruguay
11. Romelu Lukaku – Belgium
12. Andrew Robertson – Scotland
13. Radamel Falcao – Colombia
14. Granit Xhaka – Switzerland
15. Kylian Mbappe – France

The post National Team Captains That Helped Lionel Messi Win 2023 FIFA The Best Award Revealed appeared first on Naija News.