Nigeria is blessed with lots of
talented football players and some
of them play for the best leagues
and teams in the world.
While many have gotten to feature for
the Super Eagles during the course of
their careers, some others will never
get to play for their fatherland.
We tale a look at some of these
players, who may possibly never play
for the Nigerian national team, due to
their mixed roots and preference of
their home countries.
1. Chuba Akpom
He is currently on loan at Hull City
from Arsenal FC. The young striker,
who was born to a Nigerian father
and an English mother has
represented England at various youth
levels and has even hinted that he
may never play for Nigeria.
When asked where he sees himself 5
years from now during a Q and A
session on Twitter, he said: “Hopefully
still playing for Arsenal and the
England senior team too. I want to
emulate the Arsenal legends.”
2. Jordan Ibe
The Liverpool FC winger is another
footballer of Nigerian descent lost to
England. Born Jordan Ashley Femi
Ibe, he is a winger c*m striker and
has played his entire career at
Anfield.
Ibe has represented England at
various youth teams. Sunday Oliseh
tried persuading him to play for the
Super Eagles, however on 13
September, it was confirmed that Ibe
had committed his international
future to England.
3. David Alaba
David Olatokunbo Alaba was born in
Vienna to a Filipino mother (a nurse)
and a Nigerian father (a DJ and former
rapper). He currently plays for Bayern
Munich and the Austrian national
football team.
Alaba was instrumental in Bayern’s
treble winning team last season. He
has played a multitude of roles,
including central midfield, right and
left wing. In October 2009, he was
called up to the senior Austria
national team for a match against
France. He has since been capped 26
times by Austria.
He is now arguably one of the best
left backs in the world.
4. Ross Barkley
With a Nigerian paternal grandfather,
he was eligible to represent Nigeria
earlier in his career, but opted to
represent his country of birth. He has
represented England at under-16,
under-17, under-19, under-20,
under-21 and senior level.
He scored his first goal for England
under-21’s on 13 August 2013, in a 6–0
win against Scotland.
Barkley was called up to the senior
England squad in August 2013, and
earned his first senior cap the
following month, coming on as a
substitute for Jack Wilshere in a 4–0
win in a World Cup qualifier against
Moldova at Wembley.
5. Sidney Sam
Born to a German mother and
Nigerian father, Sam decided early on
to represent his country of birth.
After starring in Germany’s under-19
and under-20 teams, Sam made his
senior international debut for
Germany in a friendly game against
Ecuador in Boca Raton, Florida. Sam
was named to the 30-man provisional
squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup by
German national team manager,
Joachim Löw.
6. Gabriel Agbonlahor
Gabriel Imuetinyan “Gabby”
Agbonlahor (born 13 October 1986).
Agbonlahor was born to a Nigerian
father and a Scottish mother in
Birmingham. His ancestry qualifies
him to play for Scotland or Nigeria at
international level, but he chose to
play for his homeland of England.
Agbonlahor is a product of Aston
Villa’s Academy and still plays for the
club. He is also Aston Villa’s all-time
leading Premier League goalscorer.
On 19 November, he made his
international debut against Germany.
He played for 76 minutes. Since then
he has earned only three caps for the
English national team.
7. Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor
Adebayor was born in Togo to
Nigerian parents and plays for
Tottenham Hotspurs in England and
the Togolese National Team.
He’s previously played for AS
Monaco, Arsenal, Real Madrid and
Manchester City.
Adebayor was voted African Player of
the Year in 2008. He has played for
Togo 57 times.
8. Nedum Onuoha
Chinedum “Nedum” Onuoha (born 12
November 1986) plays for Queens
Park Rangers. He is a defender,
usually used as a centre back, but he
can also play at right back or left
back. Born in Warri, Nigeria, Onuoha
was brought up in Manchester,
England.
In March 2007, Onuoha received an
international call up from Nigeria, but
announced he would like to represent
England at full international level.
However, he has since admitted that
he would play at the FIFA World Cup
for Nigeria if he were to be called up.
Onuoha has never been capped by
England at international level.
9. Oguchi Onyewu
Oguchialu Chijioke “Oguchi” Onyewu
is an American central defender who
is currently a free agent. Onyewu’s
parents moved to the United States
from Nigeria to study in Washington,
D.C. They are from the Igbo ethnic
people of Nigeria. He made his first
appearance for the senior national
team on October 13, 2004, against
Panama. Onyewu has been capped by
USA 64 times. Oguchi still remains a
free agent after Sporting announced
the termination of his contract by
mutual consent.
10. Dennis Aogo
Born to a Nigerian father and a
German mother, Aogo grew up in
Oberreut, a suburb in the south-west
of Karlsruhe in Germany. Aogo is
capable of playing either as a left
back or as a defensive midfielder. He
currently plays for FC Schalke 04 (on
loan from Hamburger SV). Nigeria
gave him the chance to play at the
2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa
but Aogo announced that he would
only play for Germany.
He made his national team debut for
Germany in a friendly match against
Malta in a 3–0 victory on 13 May 2010,
playing 79 minutes, before being
replaced by Jérôme Boateng. He has
been capped 12 times sand not much
has been heard about him since then.
