Former Nigerian international defender Efe Ambrose has snubbed Victor Osimhen, naming Fulham’s Calvin Bassey as the most important player in the Super Eagles team.

The 37-year-old, who now plies his trade in the Scottish third division, believes the 25-year-old defender is currently the only player the team cannot do without.

The 2013 AFCON winner added that the former Ajax defender has not had a bad game for the Super Eagles since the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire.

“I don’t think he [Calvin Bassey] has had a bad game for the Super Eagles since the last AFCON. In the World Cup qualifiers group stage, he played all the games and paired with three different players in all those minutes,” Ambrose said.

“To me, he isn’t getting the respect he deserves because his job is not to score goals like Victor Osimhen but to stop them. So, with all due respect to Osimhen, the playoffs are like a cup tournament, and you need defenders much more than you need forwards,” he concluded.

Nigeria will face Gabon in a crucial World Cup playoff on Thursday, November 13, at the Prince Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat.

The winner of the tie will take on either Cameroon or DR Congo in the final of the CAF playoffs three days later.

WDN