Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi addressed the media on Friday during a pre-match press conference ahead of Nigeria's Saturday Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) clash against the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia.

On the influence of social media on the team, Ndidi stressed that criticism does not affect the squad.

He said, “There will always be negative comments in the social media even when you do well. So it is not affecting the group, is not affecting anyone.

"We're here to play football. We know where we stand. We know what we want to achieve. So our main focus is the tournament and achieving greatly in this tournament.

"Whatever comes out social media is just people's opinion, you know. So our own focus is just for the game.”

Ndidi also spoke about the overwhelming support the team receives from Nigerians at home and abroad.

“Really supportive and we're really happy about that. You know, we know we are here to represent over like 200 million citizens all over the world, also different Nigerians from all over the world. So we actually are really appreciative of that,” he said.

He added that the team is aware of the responsibility that comes with representing the nation and how their performance can influence the mood of Nigerians.

“We know the task ahead as I said earlier. We know how it can actually influence Nigerians and their moods. When we win, everyone becomes happy.

"We as Nigerians, we are actually aware because we grew up in that system, you know. So we only focus on the positive at this moment because that's what we need,” Ndidi noted.

The Super Eagles began their 2025 AFCON campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Tanzania.

The three-time African champions will be looking for another win when they face Tunisia on Saturday night, a match that reignites the historical rivalry between the two sides.

Saturday’s clash against Tunisia promises to be a crucial test for Nigeria as they seek to strengthen their position in the group stage and build on their opening victory.

Wale Adejumo