Eric Chelle Reveals How Victor Osimhen Made Him Cry During AFCON 2025

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has opened up on an emotional exchange with Victor Osimhen that left him in tears during Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign in Morocco.

Speaking on RMC Sport’s After Foot, Chelle recalled a heartfelt conversation with the striker ahead of Nigeria’s third-place playoff against Egypt, at a time when Osimhen was struggling with injury.

“I told him that we absolutely had to go for that third place. But I could see that he was injured, that things weren’t going well at all. So I told him: ‘I’m proud of what you’ve done since I took over this team. If you ever need me, whatever happens in your life, you call me, I’ll come,’” Chelle said.

He revealed that Osimhen’s response brought him to tears, describing the moment as one of the most emotional of his managerial career.

Chelle said, “He looked at me and said: ‘Coach, maybe you were a small coach, but now you are a great coach.’ At that point, I burst into tears. Honestly, it was hard to go on to training afterwards.”

Despite battling a hamstring injury throughout the tournament, Osimhen delivered a strong showing, scoring four goals and providing two assists in six matches. His performances earned him a place in CAF’s Team of the Tournament.

Nigeria’s AFCON 2025 journey was marked by a consistent positive run.

The Super Eagles topped their group with victories over Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda, before sweeping past Mozambique 4-0 in the Round of 16 and defeating Algeria 2-0 in the quarterfinals.

Nigeria’s campaign stalled in the semi-final, where they lost to host nation Morocco on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes in Rabat.

The team responded by defeating Egypt 4-2 on penalties after another 0-0 draw in Casablanca to secure the bronze medal.

Why Osimhen Didn’t Play AFCON 2025 Semi-finals Penalty

Chelle also addressed the controversy surrounding Osimhen’s absence from Nigeria’s penalty shootout against Morocco. The Galatasaray forward was substituted late in extra time due to fitness concerns, with Paul Onuachu replacing him.

“We take penalty kicks during every training session. I have stats showing who shoots best and who shoots worst,” Chelle explained.

“Before the penalty shootout, Victor came to me and said, ‘Coach, my ankle is really bad, it hurts, and I can’t take a penalty kick.’”

Onuachu converted Nigeria’s first spot kick, but misses from Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi proved costly as Morocco progressed to the final.

Chelle declined to expand on why Alex Iwobi did not take a penalty, insisting internal decisions remain private.

“I have my own statistics. Ademola Lookman was the fifth taker. Iwobi, it’s something that I shouldn’t talk about. Whatever happens in the group stays within the group,” he said.

He added that accountability plays a major role in selecting penalty takers.

“Against Egypt, I picked the ones who take the blame, so they have to be responsible.”

Reflecting on the semi-final defeat, Chelle singled out three players for their standout efforts, praising the defensive leadership of Calvin Bassey as well as the performances of full-backs Bruno Onyemaechi and Bright Osayi Samuel.

“Calvin, you have the left back Bruno Onyemaechi, who was playing really well,” he said.

“You have the right back Bright, who was also very impressive.

“These players might have lost the game, but they tried their best and put in all their effort.”

Chelle described the clash with Morocco as one of the most intense matches he has ever experienced.

“The stadium was packed with fans, and it was really chaotic,” the coach said.

“I had never seen a match like that before; it was just amazing.”

Calvin Bassey’s impressive tournament display earned him a place in the official Team of the Tournament, alongside Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen.