Ahmed Musa gets new nickname

While there were many heroes in Volgograd when Nigeria overcame the odds to defeat Iceland in their second group game, only one man can truly be deemed the game changer – and that’s Ahmed Musa. The 25-year-old has been enjoying a newfound fame over the last few days courtesy of his tremendous two-goal performance against the European side, and unsurprisingly, the fans have responded in kind – by dubbing him Lionel Musa. 

Ahmed Musa – Maxisport / Shutterstock.com

Ironically enough Ahmed will come face to face with Mr Messi in just a few days time when Nigeria play Argentina in the final set of Group D fixtures, but right now, he should be focusing on basking in the glory of this moment.

The youngster has had quite the journey up to this point, and ironically enough, it was taken to the next level against Argentina four years ago. He initially spent a few years honing his craft in his native Nigeria, before making the jump to VVV-Venlo in Holland. After an indifferent two-year tenure he switched over to CSKA Moscow, which is where he was really able to find his stride. He was one of the Russian club’s most effective stars, and as such, he earned himself a big money move to Leicester City. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite work out as he’d hoped, and he was sent back on loan to CSKA this past year, where he’s been able to recapture the form that made him such a commodity once upon a time.

But as we mentioned, his first real headline-making moment came in Brazil during the last World Cup. Musa scored twice against the Argentines who went on to finish as runners-up in the tournament, and courtesy of his goals against Iceland, he’s now the first Nigerian to ever score in two different World Cup finals. That doesn’t happen all too often with the African nations, and it’s no wonder that fans in his native country are dubbing him as the next ‘GOAT’ aka greatest of all time. The pressure is all on Argentina as Musa prepares for Round 2 against Lionel Messi, in a fixture that is known for being explosive. In addition to their Brazil showdown, Nigeria also faced Argentina in a friendly back in November – which they won 4-2. It was a thrilling game from the first minute until the very last, and when you consider how much is on the line in this game and the Croatia/Iceland encounter, we could be in for two of the most explosive games of the tournament thus far.

Many Leicester City fans are already pleading with Claude Puel to give Ahmed Musa another chance with the Foxes next season, but for now, that’ll be the furthest thing from the youngster’s mind. Instead, he’ll be focusing on trying to complete the great escape for the Super Eagles.