Cyriel Dessers urged to soar for Rangers again as Nigeria legend explains AFCON snub

Nigeria legend Benedict Akwuegbu has backed Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers to soar again with the Super Eagles.

The Ibrox frontman has been in decent scoring form this season, hitting seven goals in his first nine appearances for Philippe Clement’s side. But he’s now gone four games without a goal for Gers and to compound matters has found himself overlooked again by Nigeria coach Augustine Eguavoen.

And it’s not the first time he’s found himself out in the cold at international level. Born in Belgium to a Belgian father and Nigerian mother, the 29-year-old forward committed to representing the African nation in 2019 after a standout season in which he shared the Dutch Eredivisie golden boot with Steven Berghuis.

Dessers made his debut for Nigeria in October, 2020 during a friendly against Algeria. But since then, he’s struggled to cement a regular spot in the squad, making only five appearances and scoring two goals.

Despite his strong form since joining Rangers, Dessers has yet to make a competitive appearance for the three-time African champions. He was consistently left out of recent Nigerian squads, even after finishing last season as Nigeria’s top-scoring striker in Europe, with 23 goals across all competitions.

And he’s now also been omitted from the squad for the upcoming African Cup of Nations, set to be hosted by Ibrox team-mate Mohamed Diomande’s Ivory Coast. Dessers was given a rare opportunity during the March international window, featuring in friendlies against Mali and Ghana.

However, he was overlooked for the crucial World Cup qualifiers against Benin Republic and South Africa in June. His early season scoring exploits this term haven’t been enough to earn him a call-up for the September and October