AFCON 2025
Super Eagles striker Taiwo Awoniyi says he is focused on being better instead of competing to be better than anyone, either in the Super Eagles or at his club side, Nottingham Forest.
The 27-year-old striker added that he is not under pressure to displace Victor Osimhen or Victor Boniface in the Super Eagles squad.
He revealed that everyone in the team has their destinies, and he has no control over squad selection in the national team.
Consequently, he prefers to focus on improving himself and being a better version of himself daily.
Taiwo Awoniyi shared his thoughts recently on the Humble Boots podcast.
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“When it comes to the Super Eagles, like you’ve mentioned, it’s never on you to make the decision. You can never say, ‘Okay, I want to be in the first 11, I want to be in the next game, I want to be the top striker.’ It’s never your call. The best you can do is develop yourself to who you want to be, and that’s all it is.”
“I’ve never thought that I want to be better than this, I want to be better than that. I believe everyone’s destiny is different. I’ve never chased the goal of being better than someone else, I just want to be the best version of myself this year. Whether it’s playing or whether it’s not playing, I just want to be better than who I am.
“Of course, if you are not playing, maybe people cannot see that, but ‘what are you doing when you are not playing’? It’s just to develop myself. So when the opportunity comes to play for Nigeria or my club (Nottingham Forest), I am ready to do it. But I have never had the intention of ‘I want to be better than Osimhen, I want to be better than Boniface, I want to be better than that’.”
Taiwo Awoniyi has been in and out of the national team recently and hasn’t played for the Super Eagles this year.
Awoniyi last played for the Super Eagles against Libya in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Uyo, which ended in a 1-0 victory for Nigeria.
However, Taiwo Awoniyi will be hoping to get Eric Chelle’s invitation for this month’s Unity Cup invitational in London as the Super Eagles take on eternal rivals Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago/Jamaica in a four-nation tournament.
