Brentford defender Michael Kayode has announced that the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, recently approached him about a possible switch of international allegiance. Born in Borgomanero, Italy, to Nigerian parents, Kayode is eligible to represent both countries at senior level.
Despite the approach from the NFF, the 22-year-old right-back revealed that he never considered switching allegiance to Nigeria because of his long association with the Italian national teams.
He added that rejecting the Super Eagles for Italy was not a difficult decision for him.
His words, “It was a very easy decision. I went through all the youth teams here. Nigeria approached me, but I never thought about changing national teams.
I think Italy have always been a great national team, and playing here is an honour.”
The Nigeria national football team[iii] represents Nigeria in international men’s football. Governed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), they are three-time Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winners, with their most recent title in 2013.
In February 2024, the Nigerian national football team was ranked 28th in the FIFA rankings. The team has qualified for six of the last nine FIFA World Cups, missing only the 2006, 2022 and 2026 tournaments.
They have reached the round of 16 on three occasions. Their first World Cup appearance was in the 1994 edition. The Nigeria Football Federation is affiliated with FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations but were successful in their 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign, qualifying for the final tournament in South Africa after an 8–3 aggregate win over Liberia. They defeated Burkina Faso 1–0 in the final to lift the Cup for the third time.
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