Former Nigeria international, Segun Odegbami, has reacted to the Victor Moses’ retirement from international football. In an article article posted by guardian.ng, the ex Super Eagles forward opines that there is more than meets the eye. Excerpts from the article below:
“He is 27 years old. Under normal circumstances no player voluntarily retires from international football at an age that he is at his very best – experienced, mature, exposed, comfortable and at the peak of his physical fitness. So, to retire at 27 means something is not right somewhere.
This is the case of Victor Moses. It may take a psychoanalysis of his situation to understand his motivation for announcing his retirement from the national team this week. In the line of hierarchical succession Victor Moses should naturally become the Super Eagles’ next captain and the heart of a new assembly of players that shall emerge from the debris of the 2018 World Cup campaign.
So, with his premature retirement some things do not add up. For the first time since he started representing Nigeria many years ago I saw him from close up in Russia during the last World Cup.I actually shared a sentence or two with him, and took a picture with him for the first time in a relationship that did not exist between us for all the years he has represented the country.
I assumed he was either shy and reserved, or insecure for some reasons. A player with his prodigious talent and fame should not be insecure at all.  His profile and achievements should naturally neutralize any insecurities, except, of course, if they are really much deeper than is assumed. The few people that have interacted more with him in the team than I have tell me he is definitely not a shy person. That, indeed, sometimes he even tended to arrogance and not timidity. That speaks volumes.
His pre-mature retirement, therefore, attracts careful scrutiny so that the country does not lose the services of a great son, a needed asset and a true football hero without understanding why. Victor Moses has always been on the quiet side, hardly speaking to the press, hardly seen in public places outside the field of play, especially in Nigeria.
Whenever he comes to Nigeria he stays away from the limelight of the media. He never stays in the country for long, breezing in at the last minute before matches and heading out with the earliest flight available. I have never read about him travelling in the country for visitations during any of his trips to play for the country. He never came for vacations. In short, his physical links to Nigeria are very slim outside of football. He never looked comfortable outside of the football field whilst here in Nigeria. He was more like a mercenary hired to come and play without any links to the country.
Probably, and understandably, that may be because he did not play domestic football in Nigeria before he became fostered in the United Kingdom. Probably, also, it might be the result of the reported traumatic circumstances under which he left Nigeria as a young orphan. But even that is shrouded.
The popular story about how his parents were killed during political riots in Kaduna and how he was ‘smuggled’ out of the country by a good Samaritan inspired the production of a movie by some foreign producers (in collaboration with me) who wanted to tell the story of Nigerian football through the experiences of a young Victor Moses and his grass-to-grace odyssey in football.
The production was halted when doubts arose about the authenticity of some of the facts. It would have been catastrophic to produce a movie based on a true-life story not in congruence with verifiable facts.
Who really is Victor Moses?
His allegiance to Nigeria was always reflected by the level of his commitment to the national team. To most analysts he was a reluctant player even when the national team offered him the best opportunity to market himself globally at a time he was dangling between teams in Europe. For some reason, Victor Moses always carefully selected his appearances for the national team. He also avoided interviews about his personal life like a plague, feeling more comfortable playing, living and identifying with his foreign clubs in Europe.
Now, fate has brought him closest to Nigeria. He is in the hierarchical line to become the next captain that a new Super Eagles assembly needs.In Russia, he did not fully deliver. Following that ‘failure’, the challenge of restoring Nigeria to its place as a great football force would again depend to some extent on the role that Moses takes on and plays going forward.
That role will place him front and centre of Nigerians and Nigerian football, that will entail identifying with home more often, and demonstrating a higher level of commitment and patriotism. Victor Moses appears on the surface not to be cut out for such of a role. I do not think also that he can do it, yet the country needs him.
Should he remain in the team and the responsibility of captain be handed to a younger player how would that impact on Victor’s psyche?I can see his psychological dilemma. He must have thought through all of this also and chosen to retire from the team and enjoy his private life in European club football.Moses loves football. He also loves to win. He seems to want to avoid the scrutiny of his life that the responsibility of leading the Super Eagles and being the team’s face and the country’s ambassador would bring.
Read the rest here
Credit: Guardian.ng

Nigeria/Chelsea midfielder, Victor Moses, has released a statement announcing his retirement from international duty. The 27 year-old announced the decision on his social media pages said he is focusing on club career and family.  Moses, who represented England at various youth levels before joining the Super Eagles in 2012 garnered 37 caps for Nigeria.

Below is a full statement from him.

“I would like to announce that after much thought I have made the decision to retire from playing international football.

I have experienced some of the best moments of my life wearing the Super Eagles shirt and have memories with me that will last a lifetime. Nothing will ever compete to what it felt like to represent Nigeria on behalf of our country.

However I feel that now is the right time to step away in order to be able to focus fully on club career and my young family as well as to allow the next generation of Super Eagles stars the opportunity to step up and to flourish. We are blessed as a nation to have so many exciting young players coming through and now is their time.

There are so many highlights that stand out for me over the years; from making my debut, to playing in two World Cups and being a part of the team to win the African Nations Cup for first time for our nation since 1994 being just a few of them.

I have already spoken to the manager by telephone and would like to say thank you to him and his staff, the NFF and all of my teammates for all of their support over the years. Most importantly I would like to say thank you to the Nigerian people for believing in me and supporting me over the years. It’s meant the world to me and my family and I will always be a proud Nigerian supporting the team.
Thank you for the memories and good luck to the team for the future 🇳🇬”

 
 
 
 

undreds of Large number of ALNASSR fans stormed the King Khaled Int’l Airport to welcome Nigerian international, Ahmed Musa. The former Leicester forward completed his switch from Leicester to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia for a fee in the region of £17.5m. He tweeted about hisexcitement

Following his retirement announcement, the Nigeria Football Federation has offered a lifeline to former Super Eagles first choice goalkeeper, Carl Ikeme. Recall that the 32 year-old called time on his football career following a year-long battle with cancer.
In a statement signed by its general secretary Mohammed Sanusi, the NFF stated plans to offer Ikeme a role once he earns the required coaching credentials.

“The NFF will find the resources to send Carl Ikeme on a coaching course, and afterwards absorb him into the technical crew of the Super Eagles. That is the least we can do for such a dedicated patriot. He was an embodiment of absolute dedication, commitment and patriotic fervour in the games that he played for the Super Eagles.
“The circumstances of his retirement from the game are somewhat depressing, even as we thank God for his life.”