“Europe-born Stars Only Play For Nigeria Because Of Lack Of Options" – Siasia

Former Super Eagles striker and coach, Samson Siasia, has stirred debate after claiming that Europe-born players in the national team only choose Nigeria because they lack opportunities to represent other countries.

Siasia, who managed the national team between 2010 and 2011, made the statement while appearing on UTVAfrica with Emmanuel Babayaro. He contrasted the pathway of his generation of players with that of today’s Super Eagles stars.

According to him, players of his era, particularly those who featured between 1990 and 1998, began their careers in Nigeria before moving abroad to play at the highest level and later returned to represent the country.

“The crop of players we had during that era, 1990-1998, were great players that left the shores of Nigeria, went to Europe and came back, not now that we are bringing in players from Europe to come and play for Nigeria two different things,” Siasia said.

He added that many of today’s Super Eagles stars were either born in Europe or relocated there at a young age. While acknowledging their talent, he argued that most of them would not have switched allegiance to Nigeria if they had the chance to feature for their European countries.

“Kids that were born in Europe or went at an early age doing well for their clubs are back to play for the national team. If they had a chance to play for a European country, great players, they won’t come,” he stated.

Currently, several Super Eagles regulars, including Alex Iwobi, William Troost-Ekong, Ademola Lookman, Ola Aina and others, are Europe-born, a trend that continues to shape Nigeria’s national team setup.