If you had told any Nigeria fan after the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, that Emmanuel Emenike would no longer be a Super Eagles player 18 months later, no one would have believed you.
Indeed, the then-25 year-old appeared to have the world at his feet, and looked a sure bet to lead the line for the national side for the next six years.
Back during the heady days of the Keshi regime, Emenike appeared to have the lot, and looked like the complete frontman Nigeria craved.
He had pace, he was a physical threat, he was versatile, he could finish and, as he proved at the Afcon, he could thrive under expectation and deliver the goods when it mattered most.
The striker ended that tournament as the competition’s top scorer, having scored four goals in five matches, including strikes against Burkina Faso, Zambia, Cote d’Ivoire and Mali. In the first two contests, he had settled tight battles and covered for lacklustre Nigeria performances. In the latter two, he had delivered the goods when the whole of a continent was watching.
For a man playing at his first international tournament, it was a thrilling introduction, and the fact that Emenike missed the final against Burkina Faso was a mere smudge on an otherwise glistening hymn sheet.
It’s remarkable how things deteriorated since then, with arguably only Sunday Mba falling further—relatively speaking—over the subsequent years.
Injury cost Emenike much of the rest of 2013—including the Confederations Cup—where without both he and Victor Moses, Nigeria were shorn of the fluidity and directness in attack that had marked those terrific Afcon triumphs over the Elephants and the Eagles.
He returned at the tail end of the year to score four in three, against Malawi in a World Cup qualifier, Burkina Faso in a friendly, and twice—to turn the tie in Nigeria’s favour—in the World Cup playoff first leg against Ethiopia in Addis Ababa.
No one could've guessed that would be as good as it got for him in the national team. He seemed the promise of rain in the desert. [2]
— Solace Chukwu (@TheOddSolace) October 19, 2015
As World Cup qualification was secured, and as the Eagles looked ahead to the promise of 2014, they could be confident that Emenike was back to his best and ready to lead the line once more.
It’s stunning that, from that point to this, Emenike has played 19 games for Nigeria and not scored once. The decline—remember he bagged eight in nine between the Afcon opener and the second leg against Ethiopia—is simply remarkable.
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| Axing Ideye finished Emenike |
Perhaps Emenike was simply a casualty—one of the biggest—of the malaise and the misdirection that enveloped Keshi during his increasingly troubled time in charge. Perhaps the decision to axed Ideye Brown—an unconvincing finisher but a tireless foil for Emenike—ultimately cost the forward more than many of us imagined at the time.
Sunday Oliseh kept faith in the forward, but it appears as though another barren international break has cost Emenike that confidence as well.
The forward issued his retirement notice on Instagram in light of rumoured criticism from the coaching staff.
Some Nigeria fans will shrug at his departure…”so what?” they might ask…”perhaps Emenike just made Oliseh’s life easier.”
Indeed, initially, it’s hard to get too disappointed about the loss of a striker who has contributed so little in two years, and who has been present—and ineffective—for so many cataclysmic failures under Keshi.
Today's headline should be: Huge relief for Oliseh as Emmanuel Emenike throws in towel; misfiring striker escapes Nigeria axe. #ItWasComing
— Lolade Adewuyi (@Jololade) October 20, 2015
However, the loss of Emenike is indeed a disappointment, and his departure ought to be mourned by Nigeria fans.
To an extent, it ought to have been Nigeria’s job to have nurtured Emenike through his troubles and given the forward as much time as he required to return to his peak. The striker has demonstrated—on the fields of South Africa in 2013, and in his relentless (non-goalscoring) performance against Bosnia-Herzegovina at the World Cup—that he can be a major player and a decisive operator for the Super Eagles.
He was instrumental in many of Nigeria’s greatest achievements in the last decade, and that must not be forgotten.
It is to Nigeria’s advantage to have the widest pool of players available, and certainly, should Emenike hit a purple patch for Al Ain, I’d want him as an option ahead of some of Nigeria’s other strikers, almost all of whom have each had personal problems of their own.
Letting the forward depart—only a week after the loss of Vincent Enyeama don’t forget—robs the Super Eagles of a combative, dedicated and, occasionally, lethal frontman.
Even if he cannot match the goalscoring return of 2013, Emenike’s work rate, physicality and desire to battle with defenders could have been an excellent counterpoint for the talents of Victor Moses, Ahmed Musa, Alex Iwobi, Odion Ighalo and Moses Simon.
Nigeria are not short of striking options, and Emenike’s departure will likely open an opportunity for another player to step up.
However, I know that a moment may come, when the chips are down, when Nigeria need a difference-maker, and none can be found.
At that moment, I’d rather have Emenike’s hulking physique and achievements of the past to call upon than not.
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