AFCON 2025
Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha has revealed how Nigeria lost the opportunity to secure Eberechi Eze, despite the midfielder’s early willingness to represent the country.
Speaking on his time at Queens Park Rangers, Onuoha explained that Eze showed clear interest in Nigeria during his formative years, even without prior involvement with the country’s youth teams.
He disclosed that the current Arsenal star personally signed up for an optional training camp organised for Nigeria-eligible players at Fulham, a move that showed his openness to joining the Super Eagles setup.
“I played with Eze when he was at QPR, and he’d just come over. And I remember within the first year or two of him being there, there was some optional training camp for potential Nigerian players happening at Fulham, and he’s signing himself up to go to that type of thing there. He’d not play for any Nigerian youth team. He just gathered to do that. And that’s one of the best talents in Europe right now that could have been playing for the homeland,” Onuoha said, reflecting on what he described as a missed opportunity.
Eze has since committed his international future to the England national football team, where he has grown into one of the Premier League’s standout attacking midfielders.
Onuoha attributed Nigeria’s failure to secure the player to a broader issue within its talent identification and recruitment structure, particularly in engaging dual-nationality prospects early in their careers.
“And they could have had it if their recruitment system was better, for younger people. They always seem to turn up just a bit too late for certain people. Forget my side of things. But there are lots of players at a young age who could be part of Nigerian national youth team” Onuoha added
The comments have reignited conversations around the scouting network of the Nigeria Football Federation, especially as competition for dual-eligible players intensifies across international football.
Nigeria, known for its strong pedigree in youth tournaments, now faces renewed scrutiny over its ability to transition interest into long-term commitment from emerging stars.
