Former Southampton midfielder Joe Aribo has revealed that he didn’t anticipate the overwhelming sense of pressure he felt when taking to the pitch in Super Eagles colours for the first time ever, Footynaija.com reports.
Aribo, born in London and eligible to play for both England and Nigeria at the time, chose to represent the three-time African champions and made his Super Eagles debut in an international friendly against Ukraine in September 2019.
Speaking about that particular moment in his international career, the former Glasgow Rangers star admitted that the pressure that came with carrying the weight of expectations from millions of Nigerian fans was nerve-racking.
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“You know it’s a massive honour to represent Nigeria, first and foremost, but in terms of pressure, I didn’t realise how big it was until a little bit later on,” Aribo said on the Calvin Bassey Collective podcast.
“I remember my debut, when I stepped out, it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was mad but even moving down the line, just knowing that you have so many Nigerians that you want to do well for, it just adds pressure to you wanting to make everyone proud.
“The biggest thing is to win every single game you play. Literally, no excuses. It’s pressure but good pressure. You want to be the one to step up, make them happy.”
Despite the feeling of overwhelming pressure, Aribo went on to impress in that match, scoring the opener for Nigeria with just under four minutes on the clock as the Ukrainians held the Super Eagles to a 2-2 draw.
Since then, he has made another 27 appearances for Nigeria, featuring prominently at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations as the team led by Augustine Eguavoen reached the final of that particular tournament.
