AFCON: Mikel Obi praises Nigeria rising star ahead of clash with South Africa

John Obi Mikel, a former midfielder for Chelsea, has praised Stanley Nwabali, the goalkeeper for the Super Eagles, for his outstanding displays in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The midfield prodigy explained that the goalkeeper has become one of the main talking points in the competition because of his fearless control of the goalpost for the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

Nwabali has kept four clean sheets and conceded just one goal in the delayed 2023 AFCON holding in Ivory Coast.

Commenting on the goalkeeper, Obi said “When you look through the whole team everybody has been absolutely superb, starting from the goalkeeper which is something I talked about before the tournament. I said one position we need to make sure we sort out is the goalkeeping position and we’ve managed to do that,” Obi Mikel said on The Obi One Podcast.

“He’s based in Africa and he’s managed to become the talk of the tournament, he’s become one of the favourites for the Nigerian fans. He’s put in very good performances.

“Before we scored the goal against Angola, there was a massive save that he made. If the ball went in, it would have been a different ball game.”

Nigeria will face South Africa in the Semi-final clash on Wednesday. A win for either side will send them to the final of the competition.