Umar Sadiq made the headlines this week after he rejected claims that his recent involvement in the squad is due to his northern background.
Sadiq was born in Kaduna (a northern state in Nigeria), and is one of the four northerners in the team alongside Ahmed Musa, Abdullahi Shehu and Zaidu Sanusi, although a player like Moses Simon also grew up in the north.
While Musa and Shehu are established team members, Sadiq only came into the Super Eagles fold last year.
He was part of the Nigeria U-23 team that won the bronze medal in the football event of the Rio 2016 Olympics, but never got a call-up to the national team until 2021.
Sadiq's first invitation was in March 2021 when former Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr included him in his squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Benin and Lesotho.
Although he failed to honour the callup due to club involvements, his invitation was justified as he was in a rich vein of form for Almeria.
But he never got another chance until this year's AFCON, when he was part of the Nigerian team that went to Cameroon after players like Victor Osimhen and Emmanuel Dennis pulled out of the squad.
AFCON was the first time Nigerian football fans got to see Sadiq properly since the Rio 2016 Olympics, as his club career had not taken him to mainstream Europe for fans to see him regularly.
Unfortunately, he did not cover himself in glory with his performances in the competition, even though he scored against Guinea-Bissau in Nigeria's third group game.
He was clumsy on the ball due to his long legs, which has always been the major flaw in his game, and also his lack of strength.
Although he had an impressive cameo in the exit to Tunisia, it was not really enough to impress Nigerians, who believed he had no business in the squad.
So when Austin Eguavoen named his squad for the game against Ghana, the reaction to Sadiq's inclusion was expectedly negative.
However, the fact remains that Sadiq deserves his place, and he is right to hit back at his critics. The 24-year-old has been among the best Nigerian strikers in the last 12 months.
Last season, he finished as the Spanish second division top scorer with 20 goals. Only Paul Onuachu and Simy Nwankwo scored the same or more in Europe, although they both played in superior leagues.
Sadiq has also continued in the same vein this season, having scored 13 goals and provided nine assists in 16 league games.
Considering his performances, it would have been unfair to leave him out of the squad. While the Super Eagles are blessed with many attacking options, Sadiq is more consistent and offers something different to his rivals.
It is why it is ridiculous to make the claim that he is only in the squad because he is from the north.
Although the league he plays in does not help his cause, the same could also be said about Odion Ighalo and Ahmed Musa, who are both in the team.
However, while Sadiq has a right to feel aggrieved with the claims made by fans, he also needs to take the reaction onto the pitch.
Nigerian fans have no patience and are generally reactionary, which is why Sadiq cannot afford to blow this chance if he is called upon.
Also, due to the amount of competitions in the team's attack, he needs to make a lasting impression if he wants to be a regular name in the squad.
He does not need to look further than Onuachu and Awoniyi to see how it could be costly if he fails to take his opportunity.
The 24-year-old has shown that he deserves his spot, but he now needs to justify it with his performance on the pitch.