Etebo opens up on injury woes

July 25, 2026 1:08 am

Super Eagles midfielder Peter Etebo has broken his silence on the injury woes he suffered last season, as he prepares for a fresh start with Turkish club Genclerbirligi, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Etebo’s absence from the Super Eagles has now stretched to 1,345 days, with injuries continuing to disrupt a once-promising international career.

Genclerbirligi spent much of the 2025/26 Turkish Super Lig season fighting to avoid relegation, entering the final matchday knowing that defeat would send them down, before a three-nil win over Trabzonspor at Papara Park secured their top-flight status and condemned Antalyaspor to the drop.

The 30-year-old, however, was unable to play any meaningful role in the survival fight after rupturing his Achilles tendon in training, an injury that ruled him out for almost the entire campaign, with subsequent muscle problems further slowing his rehabilitation.

His only competitive appearance of the season came on August 9, when he started against Samsunspor before being substituted after 42 minutes in a two-one defeat, finishing the campaign with just one appearance, 42 minutes played, no goals and no assists.

Speaking ahead of the new season, Etebo admitted the previous campaign had tested everyone at the club.

“No one wants to experience the difficulties we faced last season. We are continuing our preparations accordingly. If we want to remember last year, we left behind a very complicated season with many coaching and presidency changes and elections. But no matter what, we managed to stay in the league, even if it was in the last match,” he said per Sporanki.

Etebo also spoke about the club’s proud history while urging supporters to remain patient as the team begins a new campaign, saying, “My message to the fans is this: of course, I know they do not want us to succeed.

“Last year was a difficult year. But when you look at it, there is a 103-year-old club here, a club with a tremendous history, a club that has been successful and is hungry for more success. But, of course, it is up to us, the players, to make it happen. I promise we will do our best. Of course, we will see together where we are at the end of the season.”

While Etebo focuses on club football, Nigerian fans still remember his contributions in the green-white-green. He has earned 44 senior caps for the Super Eagles and built a reputation as a hard-working midfielder, although he has not featured for Nigeria in more than three years, with his last appearance coming in a friendly defeat to Portugal in November 2022.

Etebo’s place in Nigerian football history, however, was secured long before his injury setbacks began.

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, he became the first Nigerian player to score four goals in a single Olympic match, inspiring the Dream Team to a thrilling five-four victory over Japan on their way to a bronze medal.

He was also one of the standout midfielders at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, starting all three group matches under then coach Gernot Rohr, having earlier won the 2015 CAF Most Promising Talent Award after finishing as top scorer at the CAF Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations.

Peter Akinbo

Peter, who has been covering sports for PUNCH for close to two years, focuses on combat sports reporting, special features and human angle stories

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