The Nigeria Football Federation has lined up a special honour for Moses Simon if the winger reaches a landmark 100th cap against Madagascar on Friday.
Simon arrives at the milestone on the back of a decade in green and white. He made his Super Eagles debut on March 25, 2015, coming on for Anthony Ujah in a friendly against Uganda, and has gone on to collect 99 appearances and 12 goals since.
Any involvement against the Barea in Uyo, starting or off the bench, will be enough to take him into three figures.
The numbers behind those 99 caps tell their own story of consistency. Nigeria have won 49 of the matches Simon has featured in, drawn 30 and lost 20, with 64 of his appearances coming in competitive fixtures against 35 friendlies.
He’s started 23 AFCON finals matches for the Super Eagles and played in 22 World Cup qualifiers, spanning campaigns going all the way back to a preliminary qualifier against Swaziland in Port Harcourt.
NFF acting general secretary Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme led the federation’s tribute ahead of the game.
“I can testify that Moses Simon is an incredible player and a wonderful human being, having related with him at close quarters for several years,” Ikpeme said.
“He is a patriot to the core, and forever passionate and dedicated to the Nigeria cause. The NFF celebrates him on this special occasion and wishes him many more caps with the Super Eagles.”
