Former Super Eagles captain Mikel John Obi has warned Nigerian footballers playing abroad not to treat Nigeria as a second option.
In a video on his podcast show, Obi said players should be proud to represent their African roots and country.
He criticized players who wait for call-ups from European countries like England and France, only to consider Nigeria when they're not selected. Obi emphasized that Nigeria shouldn't be a backup option and urged players to take pride in representing their homeland.
Obi said, “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 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.”
