The Super Eagles may not have qualified for this summer’s World Cup, but that doesn’t mean the country won’t be represented at football’s biggest tournament. There are players across many of the leading teams who have strong family ties to Nigeria, and all of whom hold a deep love for the country.
When watching this summer’s World Cup, these are some of the leading players to watch out for whose family histories are tied to Nigeria.
Bukayo Saka, England
With England among the favourites for the World Cup, Bukayo Saka is expected to have a big summer. As well as being a key player for Arsenal in the Premier League, Saka is the go-to right-winger for England manager Thomas Tuchel.
Despite being a mainstay for England, scoring 14 goals across 48 appearances, Saka has never forgotten his Nigerian heritage. Born in London to Yobura parents, he often travels back to see family. His last trip saw him visit his grandparents in Oro, Kwara State, as well as visiting the Bariga area of Lagos where his parents grew up.
Saka is far from the only England player to have Nigerian heritage, too. Many other candidates to make the Three Lions’ World Cup squad, such as Eberechi Eze, Fikayo Tomori and Ethan Nwaneri, all have parental ties to Nigeria.
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Jamal Musiala, Germany
Another player with Yoruba roots is Germany’s Jamal Musiala. His father, Daniel Richard, was a low-level footballer in Nigeria, and played a key role in engraining both the sport and his heritage deep into Musiala.
Interestingly, Musiala nearly joined Saka in playing for England. His family moved to the country when he was seven-years-old, and he came up the ranks playing for Southampton and Chelsea. Musiala even played for England through to Under 21 level, before eventually electing to represent the country of his and his mother’s birth.
Michael Olise, France
There are four countries that Michael Olise is eligible to represent: England through birth, Algeria and France via his mother, and Nigeria thanks to his father. The winger has always gone to great lengths to point out how each of the countries that make up his history is important to him, all of which he feels “enrich” him.
Unfortunately for the Super Eagles, Olise has only ever had a desire to represent France. He grew up idolising the likes of Thierry Henry, with the Arsenal legend eventually giving Olise his big break by selecting him for the 2024 Olympic team. He’s since broken into the full French national team, earning 15 caps and four goals as he heads to the World Cup.
Joshua Zirkzee, Netherlands
Despite representing the Netherlands throughout his youth career, Joshua Zirkzee nearly played his senior international football for Nigeria. His mother is from Benin City, and he has famously said his favourite food is her traditional cooking. Zirkzee is even known for dropping comments like “Oga” on his Danish-Nigerian teammate Patrick Dorgu’s social media posts.
Unfortunately for Nigeria, Zirkzee was offered a late spot in the Netherlands’ Euro 2024 squad. The offer was too good to resist, and so the striker made the difficult decision to represent the country of his birth.
