Mikel Criticizes Foreign-Based Players For Treating Nigeria As A Secondary Option

Former Super Eagles captain, Mikel Obi, has expressed his disapproval of players of Nigerian descent who consider Nigeria as a backup option for their international careers. These players only choose to represent Nigeria when they fail to secure call-ups from their country of birth.

Several players with Nigerian roots, such as Manuel Akanji, Bukayo Saka, Jamal Musiala, Folarin Balogun, and David Alaba, have made early decisions to represent their birth countries instead.

Mikel Obi acknowledges that players have the right to make early decisions regarding their international careers, whether it is to wait for a call-up or switch nationalities. However, he strongly condemns the practice of players delaying their choices until their peak performance has declined before exploring their ancestral roots.

The former Chelsea player urges these players to stop considering Nigeria as a fallback option when they miss out on playing for their European country of birth.

Many of these players are known to be on the sidelines during their prime, awaiting a call-up from countries like England, France, or Germany. However, when they reach their late 20s and the opportunity to be called up by these high-profile countries diminishes, they turn to their ancestral countries, including Nigeria, in search of a chance to play for them. During The Obi One Podcast, the 37-year-old stated, “We shouldn’t be treated as second options. You should be proud of your African roots and represent your African country with pride.”

Mikel Obi advises players to commit to their decision to play for countries like England and wait patiently instead of waiting until the age of 29 or 30 when their prime has passed and then suddenly expressing interest in playing for Nigeria. He firmly expresses his disapproval of such players, saying, “No, f**k off, mate.”

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