Cyriel Dessers is a 25-year-old Forward who currently plays for Eredivisie club Heracles Almelo in Belgium. Cyriel Dessers won joint top scorer award alongside Steven Berghuis with 15 goals apiece during the cancelled 2019-2020 Eredivisie season, Belgian top-flight football league.
Despite how prolific he has been so far in his professional football career which kicked off in 2013, Cyriel Dessers has not gotten the opportunity to play for any age-grade team of Nigeria or Belgium.
As a football youngster who has a Nigerian mother and a Belgian father, and has never played for any senior national team, he is eligible to play for either country. Unfortunately for him, Belgium national team has been too occupied for him and the Super Eagles of Nigeria has been busy trying other players.
Before his case becomes a case of other Nigerian born footballers scattered across Europe who rejected the chance to play for the Super Eagles with the hope of playing for a European country but ended up missing out of international football career, Cyriel Dessers decided to let Nigeria know that he is available for the Super Eagles in 2019.
However, Gernot Rohr, the coach of the Super Eagles, did not dim it fit to invite him into the team until March 2020. He was meant to be a part of the Super Eagles squad that would execute 2021 Africa Cup of Nations double-header qualifying fixture against Sierra Leone later that month.
Unfortunately for him again, the coronavirus pandemic spoilt the party for him and the match had to be postponed indefinitely due to the outbreak of the pandemic.
Cyriel Dessers is so Pained
“It hurt me because I thought it was going to be one of the best moments of my life – or at least my career – and that it didn’t go through was really painful,” Dessers told BBC Sport.
“I know it’s a young team, a lot of players playing in Europe, so I think that the adaptation would be fine and I hope when I come into the team they accept me.
“I am looking forward to seeing Victor Osimhen, I like to watch a lot of football and watch the strikers and I think he is a great striker, and I hope I can help him and support him.”
