Osimhen-Lookman Spat Was ‘Part of Locker Room Life’ as Chelle Reveals Emotional AFCON 2025 Moments, Real Madrid Ambition

Eric Chelle has spoken candidly for the first time about the much discussed spat between Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman during Nigeria’s Round of 16 clash against Mozambique at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Speaking on After Foot RMC, the Super Eagles coach explained: ‘On the pitch, there was a discussion with Lookman. Victor told him, ‘We have to stop playing in front of goal.’ Things got a bit heated, a small clash, but that’s just part of life in the dressing room.’

Chelle revealed that Osimhen left the stadium upset but quickly calmed down: ‘At the end of the match, he went home upset; he needed time to calm down. And once he did, he became the Victor we know again. There was never any question of him not playing against Algeria.’

The coach stressed that the tension was rooted in the competitive nature of two elite strikers: ‘In front of goal, those two guys are top-level. Victor is a machine. If he doesn’t do his specific striker drills, if he doesn’t score in training, it drives him crazy.

‘He wants to win everything. For him, it’s not a funfair. Lookman is the same, but calmer. Frankly, I’ve seen strikers, but to strike the ball like they do, right foot, left foot… that’s a very, very high level.’

Beyond the incident, Chelle also shared his personal ambitions: ‘My biggest dream? To become Real Madrid’s first-ever African coach.’

He has already built a reputation by guiding Mali to the 2023 AFCON quarterfinals and leading Nigeria to third place at the 2025 edition in Morocco.

Chelle recalled a deeply emotional moment with Osimhen after Nigeria’s semi-final exit to Morocco: ‘I told him, ‘I’m proud of what you’ve done since I took over this team. If you ever need me, whatever happens in your life, you call me, I’ll come.’

He looked at me and said: ‘Coach, maybe you were a small coach, but now you are a great coach.’ At that point, I burst into tears. Honestly, it was hard to go on to training afterwards.’

This week, Galatasaray star Ademola Lookman publicly backed Chelle to continue as Super Eagles coach, a show of unity that underlines the squad’s faith in his leadership despite the AFCON drama.