AFCON 2025
Super Eagles manager Eric Chelle handed invitations to three players from the Nigeria Premier Football League for the World Cup qualifiers and Papa Daniel Mustapha is one of them.
The winger/midfielder has enjoyed a brilliant outing for Niger Tornadoes in the league this season and is in contention for the best-emerging talent in the league.
Papa Daniel Mustapha played an important role as the CHAN Eagles beat Ghana to secure qualification for the 2025 African Nations Championship in December.
This post examines who Papa Daniel Mustapha is and what he is expected to bring to the national team later this month and onwards perhaps.
1. A Lagos breed
Papa Daniel was born in Lagos 23 years ago where he spent his formative years before taking football as a professional career. He was born on New Year’s Day and is currently 23 years old. Papa Daniel Mustapha featured for Adanaspor U19 and the main team between 2021 and 2024 before joining Niger Tornadoes.
2. Versatile Midfielder/Winger
The Niger Tornadoes talisman is very versatile and can be in midfield as well as a wide forward. Papa Daniel also has immense work rate and tactical awareness which makes him one of the standout players in the CHAN Eagles team.
Papa Daniel is also an all-round midfielder who can play the box-to-box role effectively with his ability to attack and defend. The midfielder, if given the chance, will offer Eric Chelle a lot of options tactically on the pitch.
3. Not shy to score
One of Papa Daniel’s key strengths is his shooting and goalscoring abilities. He is a left-footer with an immense work rate but can also shoot the ball quite well. The 23-year-old has four goals in 18 matches for Niger Tornadoes in the Nigeria Premier Football League this season.
Papa Daniel Mustapha is arguably one of the best players in the league this season and would offer Eric Chelle some level of dynamism in his tactical set-up as the Super Eagles take on Rwanda and Zimbabwe in crucial World Cup qualifiers.
