Super Eagles and Charlton goalkeeper, Arthur Okonkwo has earned another Super Eagles call-up and he is already thinking bigger than just keeping his place in Eric Chelle’s squad.
The 24-year-old has been named for Nigeria’s 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, a reward for the impression he made on his senior debut at the Unity Cup in June, where he kept back-to-back clean sheets against Zimbabwe and Jamaica as the Super Eagles won the tournament for a fourth time.
Okonkwo, born and developed in England through Arsenal’s Hale End academy before switching allegiance to Nigeria, this qualifying window is as much about staking a claim as it is about results.
Okonkwo says the recall means more than just another squad number. He’d been waiting nearly a year for the chance to come back around.
I’m super happy. It’s been a moment I’ve been waiting for almost a year, trying to get everything sorted, so I’m just happy to be here and be with my teammates again. And yeah, it’s a proud moment for me and my family,” he said.
Getting minutes for Nigeria is one thing. Okonkwo has made it clear he wants a lot more than that.
“I want to win the AFCON and compete in the World Cup,” he said
Arthur’s call up to Super Eagles squad is a good one. The goalkeeper still finding his footing at international level, competing in a department where Francis Uzoho and Maduka Okoye remain first in line. But Okonkwo’s start has been hard to ignore, two clean sheets from two appearances, and every additional call-up gives him another shot at forcing his way up the pecking order.
