Former Nigeria coach Samson Siasia has questioned the commitment of Europe-born Super Eagles players, insisting many of them only turned to Nigeria because top European nations did not open their doors, Footynaija.com reports.
Siasia, who was part of Nigeria’s golden generation in the 1990s, believes there is a clear difference between his era and the current crop.
While players of his time fought their way from the Nigerian league to Europe before returning home to represent the national team, today’s stars are mostly developed abroad and only later recruited.
He believes the pull of countries like England would always be stronger if opportunities were available for players such as Ademola Lookman and Alex Iwobi, who were eligible to represent those European nations.
“The crop of players we had during that era, 1990-1998, were great players that left the shores of Nigeria, went to Europe and came back, not now that we are bringing in players from Europe to come and play for Nigeria – two different things,” Siasia explained while speaking to Emmanuel Babayaro on UTVAfrica.
“Kids that were born in Europe or went at an early age doing well for their clubs are back to play for the national team. If they had a chance to play for a European country, great players, they won’t come. We struggled and made it to Europe but they were born,” he added.
Siasia’s comments reflect a wider debate in African football, where many national teams now rely on diaspora players developed in Europe.
