Moses Simon thanks family and fans for his Super Eagles journey

Moses Simon has thanked his family, friends, and Nigerian fans for his long career with the Super Eagles. He reached a milestone of 100 international appearances during Nigeria’s 2-1 victory over Madagascar in Uyo on Friday.

The Paris FC winger started the match on the bench in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium. He came on for Akor Adams just after the 30-minute mark. This made him the second active Nigerian player to hit the 100-cap mark, joining Alex Iwobi.

Nigeria had to fight back to win the game. Madagascar opened the scoring in the 16th minute. Ehsan Khari scored with a header from a corner kick. An equalizer from Iwobi was disallowed because Adams was penalized for a foul on the Madagascar goalkeeper. The Super Eagles got back on level terms thanks to debutant George Ilenikhena in first-half stoppage time. Another debutant, Moses Usor, scored a solo goal in the second half to seal the win.

Simon, 32, made his Super Eagles debut in 2015 after coming up through the Under-20 team. After the match, he shared his feelings about reaching this milestone.

“First of all, I would like to say thanks to the coach for the opportunity, thanks to every coach that gave me this opportunity and also thanks to you all, the journalists,” Simon said, according to Tribal Football.

“Of course, this gave me joy, and it is a great privilege to play for the Super Eagles. It is a dream come true. I never believed I would be there; I never believed I would play 100 games, but I just believe one thing: whenever I am called up, I will be there to give my 100 per cent.”

He also shared what has kept him going on the international scene for a decade.

“The secret to my 100 caps is my family, my friends, Nigerians, journalists, because when I see the passion you journalists have for football, I am ready to give everything,” he said.

Simon now aims for another appearance when Nigeria faces Guinea-Bissau in their next qualifier on Tuesday. A victory would give Eric Chelle’s team six points from their first two matches, putting them in a strong position in Group L.