John Mikel Obi remains the poster boy for Nigeria’s Flying Eagles.
His exploits at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands where he was voted the tournament’s second-best player behind Lionel Messi opened the door to a decade-long international career, a Champions League title with Chelsea, and over 90 caps for the Super Eagles.
But Mikel Obi wasn’t a one-off. He was the headline in a story that had already been writing itself.
With the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations set to kick off, here are five others who charted a similar path, rising from Flying Eagles promise to Super Eagles pedigree.
Ahmed Musa
Ahmed Musa’s path to the Super Eagles was anything but ordinary. In 2011, while playing for VVV Venlo, he shuttled between the Netherlands and South Africa to represent Nigeria at the African Youth Championship, scoring, starring against Ghana, and flying straight back to club duty.
Later that year, he netted three goals at the U-20 World Cup in Colombia and made FIFA’s shortlist for the Golden Ball.
He would go on to captain Nigeria, play at four AFCONs and two World Cups, and become the country’s all-time top scorer on the global stage, all before the age of 30.
Julius Aghahowa
By the time he wore the Flying Eagles jersey in 1999, Julius Aghahowa was already being whispered about. The 1999 U-20 World Cup in Nigeria was his springboard, and he didn’t waste time converting the promise into senior currency.
Fast, fearless, and famous for his gymnastics, Aghahowa lit up the 2002 World Cup with Nigeria’s only goal of the tournament. He finished as the top scorer at the 2002 AFCON and enjoyed a solid European career with Shakhtar Donetsk and later Wigan Athletic.
Joseph Yobo
Joseph Yobo’s rise was less flashy, more methodical, but no less effective. He featured at the 1999 U-20 World Cup and was already part of the Super Eagles set-up by 2001.
Over the next 13 years, he became one of the most dependable defenders Nigeria has ever had.
Yobo captained the team through a turbulent decade, wore the armband at multiple tournaments, and bowed out as a centurion with 101 caps, the first Nigerian to do so. He was the leader of the 2013 AFCON-winning side and a mainstay at Everton during their Premier League heyday.
Pius Ikedia
Pius Ikedia was built like a traditional winger and played like one, all jinks and bursts, all low gravity and slipperiness.
His U-20 days brought excitement, especially at the 1999 World Youth Championship on home soil, and he quickly earned his place among the Super Eagles.
Ikedia’s national team career never fully took off, just 15 caps in total but he was part of a golden Ajax generation in the early 2000s that included the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimović and Rafael van der Vaart.
Chinedu Obasi
Few wore the green and white at youth level with the same grace and electricity as Chinedu Obasi. At the 2005 U-20 World Cup, he was a menace, dribbling, scoring, and assisting as Nigeria reached the final.
He followed it up with a strong showing at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, scoring twice en route to a silver medal.
Injury setbacks and timing meant his Super Eagles career never quite hit the heights expected. Still, 26 caps, four goals, and appearances at the 2010 World Cup mark him out as one who made the leap.
