Nigeria Super Eagles and Chelsea legend, Mikel Obi has slammed some Nigerian and African footballers for refusing to play for their ancestral homes.
Speaking on his most recent episode of his ObiOne Podcast, the 37-year-old bemoaned how some African footballers reject their countries and choose to play for their European counterparts in their prime. He added that these footballers only turn to Africa after unsuccessful attempts to break into their chosen European national teams.
Obi, who recorded a legendary career with Chelsea in the Premier League, played for Nigeria, representing the country across various age groups. He won 89 caps for the Super Eagles. In his podcast, Mikel Obi charged footballers of African descent to be proud of representing their country of origin and eschew this undesirable tradition of turning to African countries when other options don’t work out when they near the twilight of their careers.
“They want to play for England, France, whatever it is, and then they wait,” Mikel said. “When they get to 25 or 26 and they don’t get a call-up from England, then they call Nigeria. We shouldn’t be treated as second options. You should be proud of your African roots, and you should be proud to represent your African country.”
Mikel Obi further emphasized his point with a stark statement: “If you decide you want to play for England, stick to it. Sit and wait, but don’t wait till you’re 29 or 30, you’ve passed your best, then you’re like ‘Oh, Nigerian FA, I’m ready to play for you now.’ No, f–k off, mate.”
Obi’s take is a clear shot at some African players, who are currently representing European national teams instead of their national teams, including others who turn to African countries as fallback options.
It is pertinent to note that while Obi’s opinions remain valid, most Nigerian and African footballers, playing for European national teams happen to have been born, raised, and groomed their careers in the respective foreign countries they chose to play for. After spells with the youth levels of the said European teams, some luckily end up breaking into the senior national team or fall back to their roots for a chance at international football.
Current Fulham midfielder Alex Iwobi leads the list of Nigerian players who played at the youth levels of a foreign national team, England, before settling for Nigeria.
Iwobi played for England at youth levels but could not earn a call-up to the senior national team before deciding to play for Nigeria in 2015. So far, he has won 80 caps with the Super Eagles, scoring 10 goals.
Other Super Eagles players in this category include Ola Aina of Nottingham Forest. Ola Aina initially played for England youth teams before turning to Nigeria in 2017.
Spartak Moscow winger and former Chelsea star, Victor Moses, 38, also played for England youth teams before deciding to play for Nigeria in 2012. Others include Leon Balogun of Rangers and Atlanta 2024 Europa League final hero Ademola Lookman.
- Other Nigerian footballers, past and present, who chose European national teams include;
- Bukayo Saka of Arsenal (England)
- Manuel Akanji ofu Manchester City (Switzerland)
- Ross Barkley of Aston Villa (England)
- Karim Adeyemi of Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
- Jamal Musiala of Bayern Munich (Germany)
- Eberechi Eze of Crystal Palace (England)
- Noah Okafor of RB Salzburg (Switzerland)
- Michael Folorunsho of Hellas Verona (Italy)
- Johsua Zirkzee of Manchester United (Netherlands) and several others
Some African footballers, past and present, who have represented European national teams include;
- Samuel Umtiti of Lille (France, Cameroon),
- Presnel Kimpembe of PSG (France, Congo)
- N’Golo Kante of Al-Ittihad (France, Mali)
- Steve Mandanda of Rennes (France, DR. Congo)
- Leroy Sane of Bayern Munich (Germany, Ivory Coast)
- Dayot Upamecano of Bayern Munich (France Guinea-Bissau)
- Benjamin Mendy of Lorient (France, Senegal)
- Moussa Diaby of Al-Hilal (France, Mali)
- Christopher Nkunku of Chelsea (France, Congo)
- Ousmane Dembele of PSG (France, Mali), and several others.
