The impending transfer of Elijah Gift Izobodo John from Liverpool to Athletic Bilbao has sparked debates about his international future with the 16 year old eligible to play for as many as three countries.
Elijah is expected to sign for the Spanish side on a free transfer after turning down the option of extending his stay at Liverpool. He is winger who can also play as a striker and has been described as a very skilful forward.
His move to the Basque side is been held up by a routine medical, which will take place in the coming days. He will join the youth team of the LaLiga side but train with the first team during the course of next season.
Gift was named in Spain’s provisional squad for the 2023 European U17 Championship but was not selected in the final squad for the ongoing tournament in Hungary.
Explaining his international options, Gift revealed that he is eligible for Nigeria, Spain, Cuba and England where he has lived since the age of nine. If he rise to the top of his career as predicted he could spark a tug of war between the countries he is eligible for.
Speaking about his origins Gift told Marca, via DAZN: “My father is from Nigeria, and one summer he decided to go on vacation to Spain.
“He went to various places, and there he met my mother and they had me. My mother was from Castejón, a small town in Navarra, and I was born there” , he said in the same interview where he confirmed that his mother is from Cuba.
Osas Mahawi
