Aina, Iwobi to Mikel: Nigeria isn’t our second choice

Super Eagles stars, defender, Ola Aina and midfielder, Alex Iwobi have replied to Mikel Obi’s allegations that most of the players born abroad chose to play for Nigeria after getting rejected by their country of birth or where they grew up.

Both Aina and Iwobi featured for England at junior levels. The former played for England at U16 (six games), U17 (11 games), U18 (once), U19 (13) and U20 (four times) before switching his allegiance to Nigeria in October 2017 and has gone ahead to feature 40 times for Nigeria at senior level. He was one of Nigeria’s stand out players at the 2023 AFCON.

Iwobi also featured for England at U16 (seven times), U17 (three times) and U18 (once) but opted for Nigeria in October 2015 and has now played in 80 international games and has scored 10 times.

The two players who play in the Premier League they have always dreamt of playing for Nigeria.

‘Nigeria isn’t a second choice, we shouldn’t be seen as second choice. Two separate nations, you have to make a decision, and I agree with him. I and Alex have beaten these allegations.

‘Not to lie, playing for England is massive, and when I was younger, I thought about it, but as I grew older, I wanted to play for Nigeria, and people like Alex, Victor Moses, and Mikel helped my transition and made it easier for me.

‘I didn’t get rejected by England, but I wanted to play for Nigeria. I was lucky it came about. There’s no better feeling than playing for Nigeria,’ Ola Aina said on his YouTube Channel.

Iwobi, whose uncle, Austin JayJay Okocha once captained Nigeria, also revealed his preference for Nigeria at senior level.

‘It’s the same for me as well. I’d gotten an invitation to the England U-21’s but I wanted to try out Nigeria, and I was invited to the U-23’s. I got to camp, and I immediately felt at home, and I never looked back since then,’ the 27-year-old added.