Nigeria football legend Victor Ikpeba, has named the late Christian Chukwu as the greatest player to play for the Super Eagle.
Chukwu, who died in April 2025, was the first player to captain the Super Eagles (known then as Green Eagles) to the Africa Cup of Nations title in 1980.
At club level Chukwu helped Rangers of Enugu to win the now defunct African Cup Winners’ Cup in 1977, beating Cameroonian club Canon Yaoundé.
After his retirement, he moved into coaching and was part of the crew that led the Golden Eaglets to win the maiden edition of the FIFA U-16 World Cup in 1985 in China.
He was one of former coach Clemens Westerhof’s assistants to the 1994 AFCON and the 1994 World Cup.
Also, he was in charge as the Super Eagles won the bronze medal at the 2004 AFCON tournament in Tunisia.
When quizzed on the greatest player to wear the Super Eagles jersey Ikpeba, speaking on SuperSport’s Monday Night Football, said: “Christian Chukwu. He was the first star to win the Africa Cup of Nations. An iconic player, I saw him play as a young boy. In that era, there were a lot of talents like Muda Lawal.”
“In my era, you were spoiled with chances: the 1994 team, the team that won the Olympics, and the 2013 AFCON-winning team.
“Recently, players like Lookman and Victor Osimhen. There have been lots of great players who have worn this jersey in the past.”
