It’s a familiar feeling for Cyriel Dessers: shining bright for his club, scoring crucial goals, yet watching from the sidelines when the Super Eagles compete in major tournaments.

Despite consistent impressive performances, the Scottish Premiership’s 2024/25 Golden Boot winner has yet to feature in an official competitive match for Nigeria, a reality that deeply affects the prolific striker, Footballrover reports.

Cyriel Dessers’ agony: The Super Eagles snubs that still sting

In an exclusive interview with Modzero Sport, the Scottish Premiership star shared his raw disappointment, highlighting the two missed African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournaments that cut the deepest.

For five years, Cyriel has been a regular presence around the Super Eagles squad, consistently proving his worth in friendly matches.

He has played his heart out, even scoring vital goals like his recent strike in Nigeria’s 2-1 Unity Cup victory over Ghana and providing a key assist in the 2025 Unity Cup Final victory against Jamaica.

Yet, the official call-up for major competitions, particularly the AFCON, continues to elude him.

“It hurts sometimes; it feels disappointing,” Cyriel Dessers admitted. “I’ve been in and around the squad for five years now, and I haven’t played an official game yet, only friendly games.”

He specifically pointed to the two AFCON tournaments he missed, stating that,

“The two AFCONs I’ve missed out on really hurt because I felt at that time, that moment, with my form, I should have had a place in the squad.”

“So I must say that hurts; on the other hand, there are always a lot of different factors, of course, and all these always depend on form, on choices, and on personal opinion,” he added.

Despite acknowledging the fierce competition from top strikers like Victor Osimhen, Dessers remains hopeful and focused on what he can control: performing for his club.

“It’s a big country; there is a lot of competition; we have a lot of good strikers. Who am I? I’m not making the choices; the only thing I can do is perform, score goals at my club, show them that I’m ready, and when called upon, it’s like yesterday, for example, show them what I can do for the team, help the team with goals but also with hard work and dedication,” he said.

Super Eagles’ unlucky star: What’s next for Dessers?

After finishing with 30 goals and 7 assists in 55 appearances for Rangers this past season, the 30-year-old is clearly in prime form.

His four goals in seven non-competitive appearances for the Super Eagles since his 2020 debut (including his first international goal against Algeria) also show his scoring ability.

Despite the ongoing snubs, Cyriel Dessers is not giving up on his dream. He expressed his determination to finally make his competitive debut for the Super Eagles.

“I’m hoping to get a call-up in September. I will do everything to get a call-up and finally get the chance to play an official game, meet the fans and make one of my dreams come true.”

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Last Updated on June 4, 2025 10:49 am by Sir Kris