Nigeria defender Kenneth Omeruo has named Argentine superstar Lionel Messi as the toughest striker he faced during his international career with the Super Eagles.

Omeruo made the revelation while featuring as a pundit on Sporty TV’s coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he answered a series of quick-fire questions about his playing career.

Asked to identify the most difficult opponent he had come up against, the 32-year-old responded without hesitation.

“Lionel Messi,” Omeruo said.

The experienced centre-back faced Messi twice on the biggest stage of international football, meeting the Argentina captain at the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups.

Messi scored against Nigeria on both occasions and played a decisive role in Argentina’s victories over the Super Eagles.

At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Messi netted twice in Argentina’s 3-2 group-stage win over Nigeria, while he was again on target four years later in Russia.

In the 2018 meeting, Omeruo attempted a desperate last-ditch challenge to prevent Messi from opening the scoring after the forward brought down a long pass with a sublime first touch. However, the effort proved futile as Messi finished clinically to put Argentina ahead in a game they eventually won 2-1.

The result ended Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the knockout stages, with Argentina progressing instead.

Despite identifying Messi as the toughest striker he faced, Omeruo also weighed in on the long-running debate over football’s greatest player.

The former Chelsea defender described Messi as a legend of the game but picked Cristiano Ronaldo as his Greatest of All Time.

Omeruo’s comments come days after he reflected on his first World Cup experience with Nigeria, describing the 2014 tournament in Brazil as one of the most memorable moments of his career.

Speaking on Sporty TV’s World Cup coverage, the defender recalled being overwhelmed by the atmosphere before Nigeria’s opening match against Iran.

“During the warming up, the crowd was something amazing. It was something I haven’t seen before,” Omeruo said.

He also spoke about the privilege of sharing the dressing room with some of Nigeria’s greatest players, including Joseph Yobo, Vincent Enyeama, John Mikel Obi and Osaze Odemwingie.

Omeruo was one of Nigeria’s standout performers at the 2014 World Cup, starting all four matches as the Super Eagles reached the round of 16 before losing 2-0 to France.

The defender went on to represent Nigeria at another World Cup in Russia in 2018, where he once again came up against Messi and Argentina.