Southampton forward Michael Obafemi has revealed why he shunned the idea of waiting for a chance with the senior national team of Nigeria in favour of Ireland.
The 20 year old is now a full fledged international with the Republic of Ireland but prior to making his senior bow he was eligible for Nigeria and even played in a friendly game between Nigerian players born in the diaspora against the 2015 Under 17 team.
Obafemi played in that game but wasn’t considered good enough by coach Emmanuel Amunike whose team later ended as champions at the U17 World Cup that same year in Korea.
Speaking on his choice of national team, the player revealed that at no point in time did he contemplate the option of playing for Nigeria and he was never contacted even when he made the step up to the first team of Southampton.
“I never really entertained any other options. I didn’t speak to any other country. I knew in my mind what I was going to do and what I can do.
“The thing is, I didn’t really pay attention [to social media]. Obviously you see little bits, but I didn’t really think about it and it didn’t hinder my decision. It didn’t really play a part in my mind because obviously I knew myself that I was going to pick Ireland.
“Anything anyone was saying about me just went to the back of my mind. It didn’t mean anything.”
Daniel Martins