The real reason behind the decision of USG and former Nigeria U23 striker Promise David to switch his nationality from Nigeria to Canada has been revealed to OwnGoalNigeria.com.
David was born in Canada to Nigerian parents making him eligible for both countries, but Nigeria were the first to hand him a chance at international football with an invitation to the U23 team in 2022.
He played in the U23 AFCON qualifiers first leg away to Tanzania which ended in a 1-1 draw on the 22nd of October. Back then he was playing for top division Estonian side Nõmme Kalju FC.
In 2024 he secured a high profile move to Belgium top division side USG as a replacement for another Nigerian in Victor Boniface, who departed the club for German side Bayer Leverkusen a season earlier.
A year after the move he applied for a nationality switch from Nigeria to Canada, and he was granted his wish by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) paving the way for his clearance by FIFA.
He received his first senior call-up to the Canada national team for the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League Finals. He made his international debut on June 7, 2025, also scoring his first goal for Canada in a 4–2 friendly victory against Ukraine during the 2025 Canadian Shield, and presently has three goals from 8 games.
” David didn’t switch because Canada are the host of the next world cup, rather due to the presence of established stars in his position like Victor Osimhen, Victor Boniface, Terem Moffi, Paul Onuachu among others”, a source close to the 24 year old revealed.
” He (David) is a very smart kid and he weighed what his best for his international career and even though he carries Nigeria at heart, Canada serves his career interest better”, he stated.
