Former Super Eagles international Duke Udi has hailed Nigeria’s performance at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, describing the tournament as a clear sign of improvement for the national team despite their semi-final exit.
Udi said the Super Eagles showed fight, pride, and identity throughout the competition, earning the respect of Nigerians and finishing strongly with a third-place result.
“From the Super Eagles’ point of view, we saw clear improvement. This is a Super Eagles team most Nigerians are proud of. They fought like the Super Eagles we used to know, they did well, and they made Nigeria proud,” Udi said.
“Although we lost in the semi-final because we didn’t play very well on the day, all things considered, we won the bronze medal. That shows progress, and we can only improve from here.”
The former international also called on the Nigeria Football Federation to extend the contract of head coach Eric Chelle, insisting that continuity would help build on the progress made at the tournament.
“For me, I pray they give Eric Chelle a new contract so he can continue from where he stopped. The AFCON was not a bad one at all. There is improvement, and that is very clear,” he added.
Beyond Nigeria’s campaign, Udi praised the overall quality of AFCON 2025, noting the competitiveness of teams across the continent and commending the tournament’s organization.
“Even the countries people call the ‘minor’ teams performed very well. The top African countries also did well, and the host nation, Morocco, were fantastic. They produced world-class stadiums and made Africa proud with the way they hosted the tournament. Kudos to CAF.”
Udi also congratulated Senegal on winning the competition, acknowledging them as the standout team of the tournament.
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“Senegal were the best team. We congratulate them and wish them all the best,” he concluded.
Duke Udi earned five senior caps for Nigeria and was part of the Super Eagles squad at the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations, where the team finished as runners-up.
