Oliseh: Osimhen’s Outburst ‘Broke Lookman’s Spirit’ at AFCON 2025
Former Super Eagles captain Sunday Oliseh has claimed that Victor Osimhen’s on-field outburst towards Ademola Lookman at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) had a damaging effect on the Atalanta forward’s performance for the remainder of the tournament.
Osimhen, who scored twice in Nigeria’s round of 16 victory over Mozambique with one assist from Lookman, was visibly frustrated with his strike partner in the second half.
The Galatasaray forward lashed out, telling Lookman that football ‘is a team sport,’ in what Oliseh described as a public verbal attack that unsettled the squad.
‘We are confusing talent with license. Victor Osimhen is world-class but talent is not a license to destroy team chemistry,’ Oliseh said on his Global Football Insights programme, where he served as a commentator during AFCON.
‘Look at the evidence. Since that public outburst against Ademola Lookman, one of our brightest lads, Lookman became a shadow of himself and we lost the bite. When you publicly diminish your teammates, you break their spirit. You destroy the very confidence the team needs to survive a semifinal against a team as tactically sharp as Morocco. We needed our best players at 100 percent.’
Following the incident, Lookman, who had been Nigeria’s most dangerous player statistically, failed to register a goal involvement in his next three matches.
Oliseh argued that the psychological impact was clear.
‘Statistically, Ademola Lookman was the most dangerous player in the tournament until that public verbal abuse disrupted his focus. You cannot expect a playmaker to perform miracles after being demoralised by a teammate. We didn’t just lose a game; we lost the psychological edge required to win.’
