Super Eagles winger, Moses Simon, is just one game away from hitting 100 matches for Nigeria. The Nigeria Football Federation confirmed that he has played 99 matches for the national team, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.
The Paris FC player will earn his 100th cap if he plays in Friday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Madagascar in Uyo. The Federation plans to celebrate him for this achievement.
Only Ahmed Musa, Vincent Enyeama, Joseph Yobo, and Alex Iwobi have reached 100 appearances for Nigeria before. If Simon plays, he will be the fifth player to do so.
He made his debut for Nigeria against Uganda on March 25, 2015, when he was just 19 years old. This was under interim coach Daniel Amokachi.
The former Nantes winger has scored 12 goals for Nigeria. The Federation reports that the Super Eagles won 49 of the 99 matches he played, drew 30, and lost 20. He has been part of 64 competitive matches and 35 friendly games, which include 23 at the Africa Cup of Nations finals and 22 in World Cup qualifiers.
Simon scored his first goal for Nigeria against Niger in Port Harcourt on September 8, 2015. He scored another against the same team in Brussels a month later. He has played under several coaches, including Sunday Oliseh, Gernot Rohr, José Peseiro, Finidi George, Augustine Eguavoen, and Chelle.
He was part of the team that finished third at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and played in the 2021 tournament, where Nigeria lost to Tunisia in the round of 16. He also played a key role in the team reaching the final in 2023 in Ivory Coast.
Simon was named Man of the Match in the quarter-final against Angola after he assisted Ademola Lookman’s winning goal.
In the 2025 tournament in Morocco, he scored during the penalty shootout against Egypt in the third-place match.
Unfortunately, he has not played in a World Cup yet. He missed out in 2018 due to injury, and Nigeria lost a playoff to Ghana for Qatar 2022. He also missed the 2026 tournament after losing to DR Congo on penalties.
Former Nigeria winger, Tijani Babangida, called Simon “a legend and a role model”. The Federation’s Acting General Secretary, Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, described him as “a patriot to the core, and forever passionate and dedicated to the Nigeria cause”.
Simon said the team is focused on getting a good result, stating, “Rest assured that we will put up our best to win on Friday.”
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