With the final squads for the upcoming UEFA European Championship slowly being released, we highlight four big names that have been omitted from the various teams who could go on to play for African powerhouse Nigeria.
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Many footballers have stated that there is no greater honour than representing your country, and perhaps nothing is greater than doing that at a major tournament. With the latest edition of the European Championship on the horizon, however, some of the beautiful game's rising stars will not get the chance to experience this feeling. While they may not have the chance to grace European football's biggest international showpiece, for some there is the opportunity to play for major African nations, most notably the Super Eagles.
The west African nation has plenty of expats and, consequently, footballers who are eligible to don their famous green and white jersey. On Wednesday night, Ademola Lookman made history by becoming the first Nigerian to score a hat-trick in a major European final. The English-born forward, however, only made the decision to play for the three-time African champions in 2022, and now, following his latest exploits, coupled with European national team rejection, even more stars could decide to play for Finidi George's charges.
Dominic Solanke
One of the names that could make the switch to the 1996 Olympic gold medal winners is Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke. Hyped up as one of the best youth prospects to have emerged from Chelsea's famed Cobham academy, the forward saw his career stagnate in the Blues' first team set-up and while at Liverpool. However, since ditching Anfield for the Vitality Stadium, his career has flourished, and this past season saw him achieve his most prolific season in the English top flight as he bagged 19 goals in the Premier League.
His exploits were not enough to get him a Three Lions nod for Gareth Southgate's provisional Euro 2024 squad, though, leaving his international career in limbo. While Nigeria have the likes of Victor Osimhen and Victor Boniface as would-be striking options, the inclusion of the 2016/17 Premier League winner would only make their attack more formidable.
Michael Olise
Another Premier League star who had a breakout campaign in the 2023/24 season is Crystal Palace's Michael Olise. The winger's latest campaign was, in fact, disrupted by hamstring problems, but that did not stop him from having his most productive season as a professional footballer, having scored 10 goals and provided six assists in the 19 league games he played for the Eagles.
Many presumed he would be included in Didier Deschamps' France squad, but instead the trophy-laden tactician decided to choose the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola and Kingsley Coman as his wing options. London-born Olise is also eligible to play for England and Algeria, but with the recent success Nigeria had at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, reaching the final, perhaps he may be more receptive to joining them.
Joshua Zirkzee
Joshua Zirkzee is a prospective member of the Super Eagles that is also coming off the back of a breakthrough season. Unlike the aforementioned stars, he grafted in the Serie A and spearheaded the attack for the Italian top flight's surprise package this season in Bologna.
The list of players that were snubbed for #EURO2024 ???? that Nigeria ???? could call-up is crazy! ??Solanke ???????????????Adeyemi ?????Olise ?????Adarabioyo ???????????????Folorunsho ?????Zirkzee ?????Ogochukwu ????? pic.twitter.com/JeqpfjAdN9
— Kamogelo Lukas Motecwane (@KamoMotecwane) May 23, 2024
Despite scoring 11 goals and assisting five times in the Italian top flight, and helping his team secure UEFA Champions League football for the first time in 60 years, his performances were seemingly not good enough to be included in Ronald Koeman's Oranje squad for the Euros. Zirkzee has admitted that his first preference would be to represent the 1988 European champions, but would not be opposed to the option of playing for Nigeria too.
Karim Adeyemi
The Nigerian diaspora is extremely diverse and a testament to that is Solanke being snubbed by England, Olise by France and Zirkzee by the Netherlands. Karim Adeyemi, meanwhile, was rejected by a different nation as well, having not been called up by Julian Nagelsmann's Germany. The versatile attacker had an amazing start to his career with Die Mannschaft, scoring on his debut for the four-time world champions, but his career with them has not elevated since.
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His last appearance for Germany came in 2022, when he was 20, and having not played at an official tournament for them, there is a glimmer of hope that he could yet make the switch to Africa. If the young star does not represent the three-time European champions for another year, he will be eligible to choose Nigeria, an opportunity he has said he would be willing to take if it presented itself.
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