Super Eagles Star Urges Arsenal’s Nwaneri and Others To Choose Nigeria Over England
- Calvin Bassey calls on young Nigerian talents, including Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri, to choose Nigeria over England
- Nigeria has struggled to convince dual-national players, with stars like Saka and Abraham opting for England
- The Super Eagles continue to recruit top talents, with Lookman, Iwobi, and Tella among recent successful switches
Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has made a passionate plea to young players of Nigerian descent, including Arsenal starlet Ethan Nwaneri, to choose Nigeria over England on the international stage.
The Fulham star, who faced a similar decision before committing to the Super Eagles in 2022, believes more dual-national players should embrace their Nigerian heritage and contribute to the country’s football success.
Source: Getty Images
Bukayo Saka, Tammy Abraham, and Fikayo Tomori are some of the dual-eligible players Nigeria has lost to England in recent years.
Also, the likes of Eberechi Eze, and Dominic Solanke have opted to play for England, leaving Nigeria without some of its brightest prospects.
However, a new generation of dual-national players is emerging, led by Ethan Nwaneri, who made history as the youngest player in Premier League history in 2022, is one of the most exciting prospects.
With reports suggesting that England could offer Nwaneri a senior international call-up in March, Bassey has urged the youngster to consider playing for Nigeria.
Bassey’s message to Nwaneri and others
Bassey, who was born in Italy to Nigerian parents but raised in England, understands the difficulty of choosing between two national teams.
Source: Getty Images
In a chat with NBC Sports, the 24-year-old shared how his deep connection to his Nigerian roots influenced his decision to play for the Super Eagles.
“I think it’s good. With us going back to our family roots, I think a lot more players have done it as well,” Bassey said.
“I feel like because most of us were first-generation, we really feel connected to our Nigerian roots. We know how big of a country it is and how big they are in football, with some of the Nigerian stars that came through—Jay-Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, John Obi Mikel… there are so many stars!
“For us, we looked up to these guys, and we wanted to be part of it. It’s a nice feeling. Hopefully, we inspire more boys who are born in England to at least consider playing back home.”
The Super Eagles’ recruitment success and future prospects
It's not all doom and gloom for Nigeria in the battle to secure foreign-born players to play for the African giants ahead of their country of birth.
Recently, players like Ola Aina, Alex Iwobi, Ademola Lookman, Nathan Tella, William Troost-Ekong, Semi Ajayi, Tyrion Ebuehi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru have all pledged their futures to Nigeria.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe approaching, Nigeria is eager to strengthen its squad by recruiting more young stars like Nwaneri.
Nigeria eligible star sends Chelle message
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Tolu Arokodare was on the scoresheet again for Racing Genk in their 1-1 draw against Sporting Charleroi in the Jupiler Pro League on Friday night.
The striker gave Genk the lead in the 71st minute, before Daan Heymans equalised for Charleroi with a penalty in the 89th minute.
The Nigerian star has made 23 contributions this season, and is making a strong case to be included in Nigeria’s squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers in March.
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Source: Legit.ng
