Former Super Eagles star expresses reservation over potential Osimhen and Boniface partnership
Former Super Eagles defender and Africa Cup of Nations winner Efe Ambrose has expressed reservations about the potential partnership of Victor Osimhen and Victor Boniface upfront for the Nigerian national team.
Osimhen and Boniface have been standout performers in European football this season, with the latter leading Bayer Leverkusen to their maiden Bundesliga title.
Boniface boasts an impressive record of 18 goals and 10 assists in 27 games, while Osimhen has netted 15 goals and provided four assists in the same number of appearances for Napoli.
However, despite their successes, Ambrose cautioned against fielding them together in the same formation.
He stressed that both players excel as point men in their respective clubs’ formations, and accommodating them together in a different setup might lead to positional challenges.
“Two good players playing in two different teams with different formations is different from playing in the same team with a different formation,” Ambrose explained to OwnGoalNigeria. “They are both point men at their clubs, so having both play for Nigeria will mean one playing out of position or one dropping to the bench.”
Although the two strikers have appeared together once for the national team, with Boniface making his Super Eagles debut last year, circumstances prevented them from forming a consistent partnership. Boniface was sidelined due to injury during the Africa Cup of Nations, where they were initially expected to feature together.
As Nigeria prepares to resume their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign against South Africa in June, it remains to be seen whether the Super Eagles coach will heed Ambrose’s advice and avoid starting both players simultaneously.
