Iwobi: The real reason why I snubbed England for Nigeria

by Austin Ditlhobolo

Thursday Nov 16, 2017. 15:30

Arsenal FC's promising midfielder Alex Iwobi he revealed why he decided to represent Nigeria instead of England.

The attacking midfielder inspired the Super Eagles to a 4-2 win over Argentina by scoring a brace in an international friendly match which was played in Russia on Tuesday.

Iwobi, who made his Nigeria debut in October 2015, is a former English youth international having played for the European side's Under-16, Under-17 and Under-18 teams.

However, at senior level the Lagos-born attacker opted to switch allegiance the African side and has recently told explained why.

"I was growing up in England and England was the only national team I knew, so I was actually very pleased to play at national level," Iwobi told Soccer Laduma.

"However, my family are all from Nigeria, I was born in Nigeria, my uncle (Jay-Jay Okocha) is a legend in Nigeria," the 21-year-old continued.

"That's why I thought I would give it a chance. That's why I went to the U23s and somehow felt more welcome, and I thought it's where I belong, so I made the decision to switch."

Iwobi's solitary goal helped Nigeria beat Zambia 1-0 in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier last month and as a result, the Super Eagles booked their place in the finals.