Yaya Touré has named Nigeria’s Super Eagles the most impressive team at AFCON 2025, praising their goals, style of play and dominance despite a semi-final exit
“The Most Impressive Team Was Nigeria” — Yaya Touré on Super Eagles’ AFCON 2025 Run
Nigeria’s Super Eagles may have fallen short of lifting the Africa Cup of Nations trophy, but in the eyes of one of African football’s greatest-ever midfielders, they were the tournament’s defining force.
Former Manchester City and FC Barcelona star Yaya Touré has described Nigeria as the most impressive team at AFCON 2025, praising the Super Eagles for their attacking firepower, expressive style of play and overall dominance, despite not reaching the final.
It was a campaign shaped by ambition and volume. Nigeria finished the tournament as its highest-scoring team, netting 14 goals while conceding just four across the competition. In the knockout stages, the Super Eagles were defensively resolute, conceding no goals until their dramatic semi-final exit.
Yet, as football so often reminds, fine margins decide outcomes. Despite being the competition’s most expansive attacking side, Nigeria’s title challenge ended in the semi-finals, edged out by hosts Morocco in a penalty shootout after a tense stalemate.
Touré’s assessment carried particular weight. The Ivorian legend is no distant observer. He has lived the Africa Cup of Nations, won it, and understands the unforgiving demands of tournament football better than most.
“I’ve been seeing the Afcon, I’ve been there as well,” Touré told Bleacher Report Football. “I’ve been impressed with Algeria; unfortunately, they get kicked out by Nigeria.”
Nigeria’s quarter-final victory over Algeria proved one of the tournament’s defining moments, a statement performance that underlined the Super Eagles’ authority, tactical maturity and growing belief. It was the night Nigeria announced themselves not just as contenders, but as pacesetters.
Touré also acknowledged the strengths of the eventual finalists, highlighting Morocco’s calculated approach under head coach Walid Regragui.
“I’ve been impressed about the team with Walid Regragui, the manager of Morocco — very pragmatic, very direct and playing counter-attack,” he said.
That pragmatism ultimately proved decisive in the semi-final, where Morocco edged Nigeria despite being outscored and, by several metrics, outplayed across the tournament.
Still, Touré was unequivocal about who stood out most.
“I was impressed with Nigeria. Nigeria play good football,” he said. “When you see the stats, they’ve been scoring more than usual goals. It feels like full attack, playing very good football.”
Then came his clearest verdict.
“The most impressive for me, in my opinion, was Nigeria — the football they were playing, the goals they were scoring. The players winning because the two best African players on their team,” Touré said.
“They played such wonderful games and got kicked out by Morocco in the semifinals.”
Nigeria’s AFCON campaign was not merely productive; it was expressive. The Super Eagles married structure with freedom, pressing with intent, committing numbers forward and playing without fear. In a tournament often governed by caution, Nigeria chose ambition.
Touré’s reference to “the two best African players” underlined the Super Eagles’ star quality, but his praise went beyond individuals. It was about identity. Nigeria knew who they were and played to it — relentlessly.
Beyond Nigeria, Touré also reflected on other teams that caught his eye.
“Well, Congo was also good. Algeria kicked them out. Ivory Coast was a young team, at the time a bit naive, but it’s part of the footballing experience,” he said.
Nigeria eventually secured the bronze medal, defeating Egypt 4–2 on penalties after regulation time ended goalless in the third-place playoff — a fitting conclusion to a campaign defined by resilience and belief.
In the ruthless arithmetic of tournament football, Nigeria exited at the semi-final stage. In the deeper ledger of performance, identity and ambition, the Super Eagles left AFCON 2025 as the team others measured themselves against — and, according to Yaya Touré, the standard-bearers of African football’s present and future.
