Some former Super Eagles players have reacted to the decision of striker, Odion Ighalo, to retire from the national team after the Eagles’ third-place victory over Tunisia at the just-concluded Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt on Wednesday.
Former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Ike Shorumu, said Ighalo’s retirement came as a shock.
“If he says he is retired from national engagements, he knows why and I am sure he has his reason but the truth is, it caught the whole nation unawares and Nigerians were shocked. I still can’t believe it. He hasn’t stayed too long playing for the Eagles for him to say he wants to retire but the reason is best known to him,” he said.
Another ex- international, Garba Lawal, said, “I wasn’t surprise when I heard the news because in football, you have to stop playing one day, starting with the national team.
“It just depends on how you feel and fit in. You have to obey your body, if your body can’t take you any longer, you have to stop. It is not easy playing for both country and club. When you are ageing, you don’t need anybody to tell you because you will definitely know. You can’t force a player to return to the team when they call it quits. They will one day leave so that young players can come up. All we need to do is just to accept his decision and pray for him.”
Speaking in the same vein, Mutiu Adepoju, a 1994 AFCON winner, supported Ighalo’s decision to quit the national team.
“I don’t agree that is was an early retirement. Since he feels he can no longer continue with the national team, we just have to respect his opinion. Ighalo has done well for this country and his career and we just have to congratulate him for what he has been able to achieve. Though he is young, I want to respect his decision because he knows what is best for him.”
