Selected in Nigeria’s final squad for AFCON, NK Istra forward Salim Fago Lawal is in excellent form ahead of what could be his first competitive appearance for the Super Eagles at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Lawal is among the fresh faces in Nigeria's 28-man roster for the tournament, which kicks off on Sunday, December 21. 

His inclusion ahead of established names such as Wolverhampton Wanderers' Tolu Arokodare, Bayer Leverkusen’s Nathan Tella, and Werder Bremen’s Victor Boniface raised a few eyebrows.

Despite lacking an English-language Wikipedia page, Lawal is far from an unknown as he was part of the Flying Eagles squad at the 2023 Fifa U20 World Cup, scoring in a 2-0 victory over Italy.

After the tournament in Argentina, the Mavlon FC graduate secured a move to NK Istra, quickly establishing himself as a regular in the first team. 

Lawal has impressed in his last six appearances in the Croatian SuperSport HNL, registering five goal contributions — four goals and one assist — strengthening his case for inclusion in the AFCON squad.

At 22, Lawal is expected to play a supporting role for the Super Eagles in Morocco, with Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Paul Onuachu, and Cyriel Dessers ahead of him in the pecking order.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel