When Moses Simon walked onto the pitch against Madagascar in Uyo, he was not simply making another appearance for Nigeria.
He was completing an international journey that began 11 years and six months earlier, when a 19-year-old Simon made his Super Eagles debut against Uganda.
His appearance in Nigeria’s 2-1 comeback victory at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium took his senior international tally to 100 caps, making him only the fifth Nigerian to reach the landmark after Ahmed Musa, Vincent Enyeama, Joseph Yobo and Alex Iwobi.
The Nigeria Football Federation had confirmed before the Madagascar game that Simon had 99 appearances, 12 goals, 64 competitive matches and 35 friendlies. His record also included 23 appearances at AFCON finals and 22 World Cup qualifying matches.
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Simon began his senior international career on 25 March 2015, when interim coach Daniel Amokachi introduced him against Uganda. he was 19 at the time.
That debut came after his emergence at youth level and his move into European football with AS Trenčín in Slovakia. His first senior international goal arrived later that year, against Niger Republic.
Within months, Simon had moved from being a promising teenager into the wider plans of the Super Eagles.
Six coaches before Eric Chelle
Simon’s longevity can also be measured by the number of Nigeria coaching regimes he has lived through.
After Amokachi’s interim spell, his international career passed through the periods of Sunday Oliseh, Gernot Rohr, Augustine Eguavoen, José Peseiro and Finidi George, before Eric Chelle became the coach under whom Simon reached 100 caps.
That means Chelle is the seventh named Nigeria head coach/interim coach of Simon’s senior international career.
Simon has remained part of the national team picture while Nigeria moved through successive coaching appointments and generations of players.
By the time Chelle took charge, Simon was no longer the teenager who had debuted in 2015. He had become one of the senior figures in the squad.
And it was under Chelle that he finally joined the century club.
Five clubs across Europe
Simon’s club career has also taken him through five European clubs. He began with AS Trenčín in Slovakia before moving to Gent in Belgium. From there came a spell with Levante in Spain, followed by his move to France with Nantes.
In 2025, he joined Paris FC, where he remains the club’s Nigerian representative at the time of his 100th international appearance. His European journey has taken him through Slovakia, Belgium, Spain and France.
The career has also brought domestic silverware. At Gent, Simon was part of a Belgian championship winning side, while at Nantes he was involved in the club’s 2022 Coupe de France triumph.
His international career, meanwhile, has supplied an entirely different collection of memories.
Simon Three AFCON medals
Simon has been part of three Nigeria teams that finished on the AFCON podium.
He was in the squad that won bronze at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Four years later, at the 2023 tournament in Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria went all the way to the final before finishing as runners-up.
Simon played an important role during that campaign. He was named Man of the Match against Guinea-Bissau and again against Angola in the quarterfinal, when he helped create Ademola Lookman’s winning goal in the 1-0 victory.
Nigeria returned to the podium at the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, finishing third.
The World Cup story that never reached the finals
There is, however, one conspicuous omission from Simon’s international résumé.
Despite playing in 22 World Cup qualifying matches, he has never appeared at the FIFA World Cup finals.
He was involved during Nigeria’s qualification campaign for the 2018 tournament and even scored a memorable freekick against Swaziland in the preliminary qualifying round, helping Nigeria to a 2-0 victory in Port Harcourt after the first leg had ended goalless. The NFF specifically identifies that match as one of the early highlights of his international career.
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Simon was subsequently included in Nigeria’s plans for Russia 2018, but injury ruled him out of the final squad.
Nigeria failed to qualify for Qatar 2022 after losing their playoff to Ghana, while the Super Eagles again missed out on the 2026 World Cup after falling to DR Congo in the African playoff.
So while Simon has accumulated more than two dozen World Cup qualifying appearances, the finals themselves remain absent from his record.
The numbers behind the century
Simon entered the Madagascar match with 99 senior international appearances and 12 goals.
According to the NFF, Nigeria had won 49, drawn 30 and lost 20 of the 99 matches in which he had played before the Uyo fixture.
His 99match record before Madagascar was made up of:
- 64 competitive matches
- 35 friendly matches
- 23 AFCON finals appearances
- 22 World Cup qualifying appearances
- 12 international goals
Then came appearance No. 100. Chelle brought Simon on during the Madagascar match, allowing him to become the fifth Nigerian to reach the century mark joining an exclusive club of four players who reached the landmark before him.
Ahmed Musa remains Nigeria’s record appearance holder with 110 caps, while Joseph Yobo, Vincent Enyeama and Alex Iwobi had already joined the century club. Iwobi became the fourth Nigerian to do so earlier in 2026, when he reached 100 appearances against Portugal in June.
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Simon is therefore not simply the latest player to reach 100. He is the fifth Nigerian to do it.
He has since played under six different Nigeria coaches before Chelle, represented five European clubs and appeared at multiple AFCON tournaments, collecting three medals along the way.
He has scored in World Cup qualifying, played in AFCON finals, helped Nigeria reach an AFCON final and experienced the disappointment of repeatedly missing the World Cup.
