John Mikel Obi, the former captain of the Super Eagles, has issued a warning to African-born football players who have chosen to play for European nations. Mikel, who led the Super Eagles to victory in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), asserted that their homeland shouldn’t be a fallback choice. According to the former Chelsea midfielder, if things don’t work out, these kids shouldn’t think about playing for Nigeria or their African country. On Friday, Obi revealed this on his podcast, The Obi One, as he talked about African talents and their hesitancy to represent their country in the hopes that other nations will call them up.
“I’ve talked so much about players not representing their African roots. We’ve held meetings with these kids, with their parents and said, ‘Listen, you are Nigerian, your dad is Nigeria, your mum is Nigerian, why don’t you represent your fatherland, Nigeria?”We wanna play for England, France, whatever it is, and then they wait, and then they keep waiting and keep waiting.“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. We’re not second options. You should be proud of your African roots, you should be proud to represent your African country,” the 37-year-old said.
Many excellent Nigerians, including Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala, and many more, have chosen to play for other nations rather than the Super Eagles. Early exposure to and subsequent assimilation into the cultures of these nations could be reasons why players work in these nations outside of their own countries. Obi, however, is emphatic that the brightest African talent must establish themselves in their home nation.
