Borussia Dortmund defender Manuel Obafemi Akanji says at no point in time in his career did he contemplate playing for Nigeria even though he is eligible for the West African country.
The 25 year old was a star for the Swiss side that went all the way to the quarterfinals of the ongoing Euros 2020 before losing 2-4 to Spain on penalties.
Akanji is off Nigerian descent and up until 2017 he was eligible to play for Nigeria despite representing Switzerland at U20 and U21 levels but he said at no time was he approached by Nigeria.
“ I represented Switzerland at youth level and it was three years later in 2017 that I got the chance to be a part of the senior team. Before that time I knew of the opportunity of representing Nigeria but I wasn’t at anytime approached by them”, he said while speaking on his first international tournament with the Swiss national team.
“ Maybe I would have been tempted but my dream is what I’m living now playing for Switzerland. I support the Nigerian national team when they play and hopefully they will make progress to the top”.
