Nigeria: Moses Simon reaches 100 caps with the Super Eagles

25.09.26 FT AFCON - Africa Cup of Nations

Nigeria

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Madagascar

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Moses Simon reached 100 caps for Nigeria on Friday in Uyo. Coming on in the second half against Madagascar, the Paris FC forward reached the symbolic milestone on the opening matchday of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.

The 31-year-old had gone into the match with 99 appearances for the Super Eagles. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had announced before the match that it planned to honour him if he took part in the game.

A milestone reached after more than 11 years with Nigeria

Moses Simon came on in the 61st minute in place of Akor Adams. The appearance made him the fifth player in Nigeria’s history to reach 100 caps.

The player made his international debut on 25 March 2015 against Uganda. Before this match, his record with the Super Eagles stood at 99 appearances, including 64 competitive matches and 35 friendlies, with 12 goals according to data published before and after the game.

Simon thus joins Ahmed Musa, Vincent Enyeama, Joseph Yobo and Alex Iwobi in the group of Nigerian players to have reached 100 caps.

An evening marked by Nigeria’s comeback

The 100th cap came in Nigeria’s 2-1 victory over Madagascar. The visitors opened the scoring in the 16th minute through Ehsan Kari, before George Ilenikhena equalised in first-half stoppage time.

Moses Usor, another player making his debut for the Super Eagles, then scored the winning goal in the 65th minute. Nigeria held on to their advantage until the final whistle and therefore began their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign with three points.

This match will remain above all else for Moses Simon as the one in which he entered the circle of Nigerian football’s centurions, 11 years after his international debut.

Nouya M'toama

Editorfr, en

Versatile journalist specializing in sports and political news, with extensive experience across radio, print and digital media platforms.

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