Tolu Arokodare Speaks Out: Why Being Left Out Of AFCON Was Hard To Swallow

Super Eagles striker Tolu Arokodare has admitted that he anticipated his omission from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), acknowledging that his limited playing time and form at club level left him with little ground to complain.

The Wolverhampton Wanderers forward, who joined Molineux last summer after an impressive spell with KRC Genk, was named in Nigeria’s provisional squad but ultimately missed out on the final selection for the tournament in Morocco.

From his living room, Arokodare watched the Super Eagles secure bronze, defeating Egypt 4-2 on penalties in the third-place play-off.

Reflecting on the setback in an interview with Counter Attack, the 23-year-old singled out his performance against DR Congo during the World Cup qualifying play-offs as a key moment.

“To be honest, I knew, no one had to tell me. Since that Congo game… I’ll be very honest,” Arokodare said. “The way I came on and off, and how the result went… I don’t want to focus on the chance I missed because anyone can miss a chance. I was obviously trying to score.”

He acknowledged the stiff competition for places in Nigeria’s attack, with established stars like Victor Osimhen and Paul Onuachu leading the line, alongside in-form forwards pushing for selection.

“The way my last game went with the national team wasn’t ideal, and the season at Wolves hasn’t seen me play as many minutes. I thought to myself, ‘Tolu, be realistic—if you were the coach, would you call yourself?’” he admitted.

Despite his pragmatic approach, the disappointment remained.

“When I saw the final list and didn’t see my name, I wouldn’t say it was hurtful, but it was definitely painful not to be selected,” he revealed.

Since then, Arokodare has earned more playing time at Wolverhampton Wanderers as the club battles to avoid relegation. With the next international window approaching in March, the striker will be hoping that his resurgence forces a return to Super Eagles contention.