Is anything wrong with Ahmed Musa’s 32 years?
For the past weeks, I have been thinking about the illustrious career of Ahmed Musa and how he is being tactically rushed off the international stage on the basis of his age. There is nothing as frustrating as stopping someone from doing what his body and spirit is telling him that he can still do. […]
ahmed musa
For the past weeks, I have been thinking about the illustrious career of Ahmed Musa and how he is being tactically rushed off the international stage on the basis of his age. There is nothing as frustrating as stopping someone from doing what his body and spirit is telling him that he can still do. This is why even boxers who are thoroughly beaten still cry when their coaches throw in the towel.
Born on October 14, 1992, Musa at 32 years, is doing everything possible to tell the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) that he is still in shape to serve the country for a few more years but it appears he is hitting his head against a brick wall. Instead, there is a growing campaign that he should honourably quit the stage for younger players. Unfortunately, those being tipped to replace him are yet to demonstrate the capacity to step into his big boots.
For those who feel that Musa still has something in his tank, the decision by the Super Eagles new coach, Eric Chelle, to include him in the 35-man provisional list of players for the two World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, was a welcome development. However, such excitement was cut short when a few days later, the coach released the final list of 23 players for the matches without Musa’s name. To make it even worse, no explanation was given for his exclusion.
However, the shabby treatment meted to him didn’t come to many as a surprise because it wasn’t the first time that he was given the surplus-to-requirement treatment. As a matter of fact, when he was included in the squad for the 2023 AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire, not a few people questioned his selection. Many said it was a waste of opportunity that could have been utilised by a younger player. Of course, those opposed to his selection felt vindicated when he went to the AFCON and warmed the bench throughout.
Considering the fact that he didn’t play at the AFCON, many advised that Musa should call time on his international career without further ado. But he had a different plan. Instead, he returned home to sign for his boyhood club, Kano Pillars, where he is busy rolling back the years with impressive performances.
It is his third stint with the club, and Musa is proving to be another old wine that is tasting better with age. Although in his second coming in 2021, he played eight matches without a goal, this time, it is a fruitful spell. Already, he has scored seven times, and with five more matches to go, he may score even more goals.
Beyond the goals contribution, Musa has remained a good ambassador of Kano Pillars and the NPFL. Each time he returns to the club, both Pillars and the league enjoy more attention from football fans around. This is no doubt as a result of his huge followership. Yet, he remains the same guy who is known for extraordinary dedication, commitment, professionalism, and selflessness on and off the field of play.
This same spirit accompanies him to the Super Eagles, where he has excelled. He may not boost of the same accomplishments of the likes of Kanu Nwankwo, Finidi George, Emmanuel Amuneke, Victor Ikpeba, Mikel Obi, Victor Moses, and lately Ademola Lookman, but he has also produced records that can make the other legends green with envy.
Apart from being the most capped Super Eagles player, Musa, who made his international debut in 2010 at the age of 17, is Nigeria’s leading scorer at the FIFA World Cup with four goals. His double brace in 2014 and 2018, an unprecedented feat, has put him in third place in African ranking behind Cameroon’s Roger Milla (5) and Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan (6). The closest to Musa in Nigeria is the late Rashidi Yekini, who scored three goals.
Curiously, those who want him out of the Super Eagles are citing his age as the reason for their demand. It is surprising that at 32 years, Musa is said to be too old to play for the national team. This assumption is wrong because with his performances for Pillars in one of the most difficult football leagues in the world, Musa is still proving his worth.
Anytime he plays, his electrifying pace, deft touches, fighting spirit, and leadership qualities come to the fore. He still leaves the so-called young players gasping for breath as they try in vain to close him down. So, many of his fans are left to wonder what the fuss about his age is all about.
Only recently, we all witnessed how Liverpool fought desperately to keep two of their most influential players – captain Virgil van Dijk and the talismanic Mo Salah, who are in the same age bracket with Musa. Both players are in their early 30s, yet Liverpool and their respective countries are still counting heavily on them for future successes. No wonder there was a huge celebration at Anfield when Salah and Dijk extended their stay to 2027.
Apart from that, at 40, Cristiano Ronaldo is yet to be discarded by Portugal. He is still firing on all cylinders. At 37, magical Messi is still pulling the strings for Inter Miami and Argentina. It won’t be surprising if he is eventually seen at the 2026 World Cup orchestrating Argentina’s search for another World Cup title. And coming closer home, Super Eagles stand-in captain William Troost Ekong is a year younger than Musa, but he is the one who is leading the team at the moment.
Therefore, the question the NFF and the coach of the Super Eagles should answer without further delay is, what exactly is wrong with Musa’s own 32 years? If at the same age or above as it is in the case of Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Messi and Robert Lewandoski, these players are neither seen nor considered to be too old to play for their clubs and countries, why is Musa’s case so different?
Maybe there is something the NFF knows about the player’s age that some of us don’t know. Even if his 32 years is ‘football age’ as we call it around here, Musa’s age is not hindering his performance. After all, the saying that age is just a number is not only for sugar daddies who are chasing after their granddaughters’ age mates.
Accepted, he may not be flying as high as the eagle that he used to be, but Musa is still faster and better than some sluggish and uninspiring wingers in the team. So, as a mark of honour and respect for Nigeria’s most capped player and World Cup leading scorer, Musa should be allowed to decide when to take a final bow. Let’s not forget how we are still paying the price for forcefully retiring some of our most gifted players.