Bukayo Saka, Ross Barkley and 9 Other Nigerian Footballers Playing for Other Countries
- The Nigerian football body, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has, over the years, witnessed many foreign-based players turning down requests to represent the country
- Some of these players are most called upon to represent the country due to influence in their respective foreign football clubs
- There are cases where some of these players rejected the NFF offer to play for other countries
- In a chat with Legit.ng, Seyi Oyebode, a football coach, gave reasons some footballers do not play for Nigeria, ranging from limited opportunities to corruption
Football is considered one of the popular sports in Nigeria, which is quite visible with the many Nigerians who are fans of different European football clubs.
With Nigeria's Super Eagles currently ranked 49th on the FIFA ranking, there are top-class foreign-based players who have turned down invitations to represent the national team at one time or another.
Source: Instagram
Reasons for this may vary from some players being born to Nigerian parents in other countries they chose to represent. Others may have been born in Nigeria but spent most of their years in other countries where they became naturalised citizens.
In this article, Legit.ng lists popular Nigerian players who do not play for the country.
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1. Former Tottenham Hotspur star Dele Ali
Dele Alli may no longer be in top form as he used to be, but the former Tottenham star was once considered one of the top midfielders in the English Premier League.
The football star, whose real name is Bamidele Jermaine Alli, was born in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, on April 11, 1996, to a Nigerian father, Kehinde Kenny Alli, and a British mother, Denise Alli.
While Dele had the opportunity to play for Nigeria, he opted to represent the Three Lions of England.
2. Tammy Abraham of AS Roma
Tammy Abraham, whose real name is Kevin Oghenetega Tamaraebi Bakumo-Abraham, was born to Nigerian parents in Camberwell, London, United Kingdom.
Abraham, a striker for Italian club AS Roma, was eligible to play for Nigeria, with the country football body attempting to lure him in 2017. Still, he chose to play for the Three Lions of England instead.
3. Arsenal's main man Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka, real name Bukayo Ayoyinka T. M. Saka, was born in Ealing, Greater London to Nigerian parents.
Saka currently plays for Premier League top club Arsenal. He is one of their best players, known for his attacking incisiveness and creativity.
The footballer turned down the offer to play for Nigeria as he stood a chance of winning international honours with the Three Lions.
He revealed in an interview in 2022 that he remains a fan of the Super Eagles.
4. Former Chelsea star Ross Barkley
The talented midfielder making the list would come as a surprise to many Nigerians.
However, Ross Barkley had the opportunity to represent Nigeria in international football due to his father.
The former Chelsea midfielder was born in Liverpool to a Nigerian father named Peter Effanga and a British mother.
A report via Allnigeriasoccer claimed he considered playing for the Super Eagles before he made his debut for England's senior squad in 2013.
5. Real Madrid star David Alaba
David Olatukunbo Alaba claims Austria as his home country, which makes him eligible to play for the Austrian National team, thus snubbing the Super Eagles.
Alaba, who once played for German club Bayern Munich, was born to Nigerian parents George and Gina Alaba.
In an interview in 2013, Alaba revealed he could have played for Nigeria but for some conditions which did not favour him.
6. Aston Villa legend Gabby Agbonlahor
The former Aston Villa star, whose real name is Gabriel Imuetinyan Gabby Agbonlahor, was born to a Nigerian father named Samson Agbonlahor and a Scottish mother in Birmingham.
Due to his father's ancestry, Gabby was qualified to play for Scotland or Nigeria, but he chose to play for his country of birth, England, instead.
In an interview in 2013, he claimed he was never approached by the Nigerian football body to play for the Super Eagles.
7. Former FC Schalke midfielder Dennis Aogo
Dennis was born to a Nigerian father, Samuel Aogo, and a German mother.
During his football career with FC Schalke, Dennis was a versatile footballer. He played as a left-back or defensive midfielder.
He was tipped to be on the Super Eagles squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Dennis, however, turned down the offer as he chose to play for Germany instead.
8. Former Arsenal player Emmnauel Adebayor
Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor, during his football career, played for some of the top clubs in Europe, like Arsenal, AS Monaco, Manchester City, and Real Madrid.
The former Arsenal forward was born in Lome, Togo, to Nigerian parents Hajia Adebayor and Shadrach Adebayo Adeyi.
He was eligible to play for the Super Eagles but opted to represent Togo, the country of his birth.
9. Former Man City defender Nedum Onuoha
Unlike others listed above, Chinedum Nedum Onuoha was born in Warri, Delta State, Nigeria. He emigrated from Nigeria with his family at the age of 7.
Aside from playing for Manchester City, Nedum played for Queen Parks Rangers and Real Salt Lake.
He was invited to represent Nigeria at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, but he rejected the offer, which he would later describe as his biggest regret.
10. Former Sporting CP defender Oguchi Onyewu
Like Nedum, Oguchialu Chijioke “Oguchi” Onyewu was born to Nigerian parents Dorothy and Peter Onyewu, who emigrated to the US when he was young.
Oguchi, who was a defender for Charlton Athletic FC and Sporting CP, chose to play for the US national squad ahead of Nigeria.
There are no details on whether he was invited to play for Nigeria at any time.
11. World's strongest player in FIFA video game Adebayo Akinfenwa
One of the popular clubs Adebayo Akinfenwa played for before he retired in 2022 was Swansea City.
The former striker was born to Nigerian parents in Islington, North London.
He was once ranked as the strongest footballer in the world in different FIFA video game series.
Unlike everyone on this list, Adebayo never played for any country at the international level.
Why some Nigerian footballers don't play for Nigeria - Seyi Oyebode
Seyi Oyebode, a football coach at Dynaspro Sports Academy, revealed there are two categories of foreign-based players
The first category, he said, includes those who played and were developed in Nigeria before moving abroad for greener pastures.
The second category comprises those who were born abroad.
"With the Nigerian constitution giving room for dual citizenship, those in the second category can play for Nigeria and the country of their birth, and this is where the challenge comes from," Oyebode explained.
"Many of them are not willing to play for Nigeria because they don't have a clue about the kind of organisation we have in Nigeria. Administrative process give challenges. The type of feedback they get from their parents or wellwishers never speaks well of Nigeria, and the kind of history they have seen from those who left their country to play for Nigeria is not good either.
"They also consider the variables, the kind of opportunity when they know if they play for countries like the UK can fetch more opportunities, more career advancement, more glory and can increase their value.
Corruption is also part of it. The likes of David Alaba of Real Madrid could have played for Nigeria, but they requested money. There are instances of coaches requesting money before they can feature players. Many of these players want to play for Nigeria, but asking them to bring some certain amount of money keeps them away."
Why Victor Osimhen can't buy Birkin bag for a lady
In an earlier report by Legit.ng, Victor Osimhen revealed his deal-breaker when it comes to the affairs of love.
The Nigerian player said his girlfriend must be financially independent to contribute to their relationship.
Osimhen said he would not spend over a hundred thousand on a Birkin bag for a lady to have her praise him on his birthday.
Source: Legit.ng
