Nigeria is blessed with talents when it comes to the round leather game. And with many superstars Nigeria has churned out, there are still tons of footballers who are of Nigerian blood but never don the Super Eagles Jersey. Some never have the liberty to play for Nigeria because they believe the country they (now) represent is better than Nigeria, some lost the opportunity while some didn’t play due circumstances that cannot be bypassed – dual Nationalities.
Today we take a look at some of those world-beaters in football who never played for Nigeria. Perhaps if they had opted to play for the Super Eagles, some milestone success would’ve been achieved by the West African Nations, Football-wise…
Dennis Aogo
Country Adopted: Germany
Talk of players with dual nationalities, Dennis is one of such players. He was born to a German mother and a Nigerian father in Germany. He was once invited to play for the Super Eagles but he refused because he felt he would never be recognized as an African. The 33-year-old now plays for VfB Stuttgart in the German Bundesliga as a Left wing-back and sometimes as a midfielder.
Emmanuel Adebayor
Country Adopted: Togo
Like many other players, he had the chance to play for Nigeria but opted to play for his country of birth, Togo. His mother is a Nigerian. The former Arsenal, Manchester City, and Tottenham striker had in 2017 revealed how his family almost ruined his career and blasted his thief Brother. Rotimi Adebayor. Apart from the aforementioned clubs, Emmanuel Adebayor has played for Monaco, Real Madrid, and Metz. He now plies his trade in Turkey with Kayserispor.
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Ross Barkley
Country Adopted: England
Surprisingly, this England and Chelsea international is of Nigerian descent. Eligible to play for Nigeria through his Nigerian paternal grandparent, he instead decided to pledge his allegiance to the country of his birth and was first called up for the England under-16 level in September 2008 at the age of 14.
Manuel Akanji
Country Adopted: Switzerland
Akanji was born in Neftenbach, Switzerland to a Swiss mother and a Swiss-Nigerian father. Akanji made his debut in the Switzerland National team in the 2-0 win against the Faroe Islands in the World Cup Qualifier match on 9 June 2017. He played the entire 90 minutes. He was included in the Switzerland National Team- 23 man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Dele Alli
Country Adopted: England
Alli was born in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, to a Nigerian father Kehinde and English mother Denise. Kehinde moved to the United States a week after Alli’s birth which made his mother brought him up. At the age of 9, he moved to Nigeria with his father, where he spent two years in an International School before returning to Milton Keynes to live with his mother. He didn’t hesitate to choose England over Nigeria when the time came. He plays for the North London Club. Tottenham Hotspur.
Adebayo Akinfenwa
Country Adopted: England
Saheed Adebayo Akinfenwa has spent his entire career in English lower leagues. His father is a Muslim and his mother is a Christian, and Akinfenwa observed Ramadan as a child, although he is now a Christian. Akinfenwa becomes well known for being ranked as the strongest footballer in the world in various editions of the FIFA videogame series due to his beastly-built body and ranked number in cheapgoals top ten strongest footballers. Akinfenwa reportedly weighs around 16 stone (101 kg) and can bench press 200 kg, almost double his own body weight.
Innocent Emeghara
Country Adopted: Switzerland
Innocent, a Lagos born striker opted to represent Switzerland internationally, and he made his debut on 4 June 2011 playing one minute in a 2–2 draw in England for the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers. He also helped the U-21 team finish second at the 2011 Uefa Euro Championship, scoring in the 2–0 group stage win against Iceland.
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Oguchi Onyewu
Country Adopted: USA
Although retired, Onyewu was born in Washington DC to Nigerian Parents of the Igbo tribe. He has two brothers, Uche and Nonye, and two sisters, Chi-Chi and Ogechi. He also holds Belgian citizenship. He speaks English, French, Italian and Portuguese fluently. Onyewu is a practicing Catholic.
Ikechi Anya
Country Adopted: Scotland
Anya’s father is a Nigerian research scientist of the Igbo ethnic group and his mother a Romanian economist. The couple met while studying in Bucharest. After finishing their studies, his parents moved to Scotland in the late 1980s for his father to obtain his doctorate in metallurgy. Eligible to also represent Romania, Nigeria or England internationally, he chose to play for the country of birth, Scotland. He received his first cap for the Scottish National Team on 6 September 2013, coming off the bench in a 2-0 defeat to Belgium.
David Alaba
Country Adopted: Austria
Alaba was born in Vienna to Gina and George Alaba and has one sister, a professional recording artist, named Rose May Alaba. His Visayan mother emigrated from the Philippines to work as a nurse. His Nigerian father is a prince from Ogere who is also a rapper and works as a DJ. Alaba plays for Austria and Bayern Munich as a left-back,
