By Jimmy
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have not had a reliable goalkeeper since Vincent Enyeama’s retirement from international football in 2015.
The closest they have come in the search for a reliable goalkeeper was when Carl Ikeme got his place in the national team. However, his sudden retirement in 2018 due to a health challenge has left the team with no bankable goalie.
Francis Uzoho, who currently plays in Cyprus and is the Super Eagles’ first choice, has not been consistent as he is extremely prone to avoidable errors. In his last 14 friendly games in Nigerian colors, he has conceded a whopping 22 goals.
This dastardly performance has made most Super Eagles fans agitate for his exit from the team ahead of the 2023 African Cup of Nations which will commence in Ivory Coast in January 2024.
Maduka Okoye who is supposed to be his competitor for the number one spot has not even made an appearance for his new club, Udinese so far this season.
In light of this, Ikejabird has compiled a list of four goalkeepers that could help to solve the goalkeeping issues in the Super Eagles team.
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Noah Atubolu (Freiburg)
Noah Atubolu has a Nigerian father and a German mother which makes him eligible to play for the Super Eagles. He is currently playing consistently for the German Bundesliga side Freiburg.
Atubolu has kept four clean sheets and conceded 19 goals in 12 matches in all competitions so far this season.
Tobias Lawal [LASK]
Tobias Lawal is an Austrian-born goalkeeper who has a Nigerian father and Austrian mother which makes him eligible to play for the Super Eagles.
The 23-year-old is interested in playing for the Eagles and has been invited once to the team. However, he couldn’t make it due to passport issues.
He has conceded just seven goals in 11 appearances for Austrian Bundesliga side, LASK who are competing domestically and in the Europa League this season.
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Jonathan Rasheed (IFK Varnamo)
Jonathan Rasheed has a Nigerian father and a Norwegian mother but has made it known that he would love to play for the Super Eagles.
The 31-year-old Norwagian-born goalkeeper has made six clean sheets in 18 games so far this season.
Sebastian Osigwe (FC Lugano)
Sebastian Osigwe has a Nigerian father and a Swiss mother and is still eligible to play for the Super Eagles at age 29.
Osigwe, who is currently playing for Swiss club FC Lugano, kept 8 clean sheets in 33 matches to help the club win the Swiss Cup in 2022.
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