Will uncapped Ebenezer Akinsanmiro and Tochukwu Nnadi get a chance to shine in Nigeria’s last AFCON group game?

By the time Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign draws to a close, however that denouement might transpire, two names that will likely be on the lips of Nigerians may well be Ebenezer Akinsanmiro and Tochukwu Nnadi.

At 21 and 22 years old respectively, both were drafted into the Super Eagles’ AFCON squad with not a single cap between them, but carrying the promise of talent that Nigeria has never been in short supply of, even if harnessing them has always been more miss than hit.

Both players were on display as second half substitutes in Nigeria’s pre-tournament practice game against Egypt, where the Super Eagles lost 2-1, and it was clear from their performances that if this is the future of the Super Eagles midfield, it is indeed bright.

Both are versatile midfielders who bring composure, energy and a varied passing range to the midfield and players have enjoyed a rapid rise to find their way into the senior national team, and in very well-deserved fashion.

Akinsanmiro began his career with Beyond Limits, the academy arm of Remo Stars, before making the jump to the senior team, helping them to promotion to the NPFL before securing a move to Internazionale in the winter of 2023.

But it took until this year for him to make his Serie A debut, after which he was loaned to Pisa, where he has made an instant impression, claiming two man of the match awards from his 11 league appearances so far.

Akinsamiro’s biggest skillset is as a box-to-box presence, offering a dynamic passing range, energy and a willingness to run.

Those abilities are what brought him to Chelle’s attention and he only missed out on an earlier invitation to the qualifiers due to injury. The current call up is just reward for a player who said he doubted himself despite featuring at cadet level for Nigeria.

“It has been my dream for so long to play for the national team,” he said. “Since under 17, under 20. I just thought then that maybe I’m not good enough. But I felt like if I keep on pushing and do my best, I would be called up.”

Unfortunately, he did not quite get the chance to show off the best of those qualities as his performance against Egypt was somewhat underwhelming, but the blame for that should go to Chelle, who chose to deploy him high and wide up the pitch, away from his optimal deep-lying or box to box position.

Things were much better for Zulte Waregem’s Nnadi, who is already attracting interest from West Ham United, and was by far the standout pick of the game for the Super Eagles despite his limited minutes.

Nnadi’s calm strength on the ball and composed passing stood him out from the rest. He demanded the ball, made himself available for passes, pressed smartly, was hard to shake off the ball and delivered his passes with clear-eyed vision.

It was a masterclass in midfield play, and the youngster looked the furthest thing from a player making his first senior appearance.

“It takes a lot to be at this level,” he said. “So I just have to work hard. I know being in the national team comes with a lot of pressure. But I am here to show my quality, fight for the team and I hope we win the AFCON.”

Proven at under 20 level, where he represented Nigeria at the 2023 FIFA Under 20 World Cup, Nnadi made the transition to senior level look easy.

Nigeria are no strangers to throwing up stars at AFCON or other major tournaments. Emmanuel Amunike was the breakout hero of Nigeria’s 1994 triumph, stepping up from the bench to score the two goals that won Nigeria the Final against Zambia.

Tijani Babangida’s two-goal evisceration of Bafana Bafana in 2000 is also not soon forgotten. And in 2004, it was the turn of Osaze Odemwingie to explode at Afcon, and again the announcement was made with two goals against those hapless Bafana Bafana.

By far the biggest unknown to hero in recent years has got to be Sunday Mbah. Picked for the tournament as one of six virtually unknown domestic league players by Stephen Keshi, few outside of the coach and his staff expected him and his fellow local league players to be anything but additional bodies on the trip.

Instead, he scored against Ivory Coast to eliminate Didier Drogba and his Elephants in the quarterfinals, and again in the final against Burkina Faso to seal the title for Nigeria. Those two goals saw him end up as the undisputed star of the show as the Super Eagles claimed their third title in South Africa.

At the last AFCON, goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, who had arrived with just the lone international appearance before the Nations Cup, ended up the darling of Nigerians, who had been desperate for a goalkeeper with talent, confidence and the ability to just not make errors – forced or unforced – in goal.

At the end of the tournament, the goalkeeper, who came in with less experience than Uzoho with 34 caps spanning two Nations Cup and one World Cup appearance, had solidified his spot as the country’s first choice goalkeeper.

With Akinsanmiro and Nnadi, although they are more deeper-lying players than their predecessors, that could be well be history repeating itself, and opponents might want to keep well clear.

Chelle might not be embarking on a complete rebuild of the squad, at least not with just two players, but he does appear to be making an effort to refresh areas of weakness, and midfield is most certainly one of those.

Neither have seen any action at the Nations Cup as yet, but with the Super Eagles not only having qualified with victory over Tunisia but also won the group on head to head tie-breaker, Chelle may play one or both against Uganda in the final group game.

We might just witness a new star — or two — born in real time.