Alex Iwobi Explains the Difference Between Playing for England and Nigeria
- Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi has opened up on the difference between playing for England and Nigeria
- Iwobi played for England youth teams before switching his allegiance to play for Nigeria at the senior level
- He has over 90 caps for the Super Eagles and has played at major tournaments, including AFCON and the World Cup
- A Nigerian journalist hit out at the NFF for failing to develop Nigerian football despite outcry from players and fans
Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi has explained the difference between playing for England and Nigeria, having played for both countries.
Iwobi was born in Nigeria, but moved to England as a kid and was raised in London, during which he came through Arsenal’s famous Hale End academy.
Source: Getty Images
He represented England at three youth levels, U16, U17 and U18, but switched his international allegiance to represent the country of his birth afterwards.
He made his debut for the Super Eagles on October 8, 2015, weeks before his professional debut for Arsenal on October 27, though he made the first team bench in September.
The versatile midfielder spent four years at Arsenal before moving to Everton in 2019. He spent another four years on Merseyside before returning to London with Fulham in 2023.
Iwobi differentiates Nigeria and England
Iwobi, speaking on the High Performance Podcast, differentiated between playing for the England and Nigerian national teams.
Iwobi made 11 appearances across three age groups in England and, since switching to Nigeria more than 10 years ago, has 97 caps for the Super Eagles, as quoted by Transfermarkt.
“Playing for England and playing for Nigeria are two very different things. In England, things are stricter. Whenever you're at St George's, or you're at the hotel, no one's allowed to come in. The schedule was strict, alongside the food and the sleep regime,” he said.
“In Nigeria now, I have to watch what I say.”
He lamented how logistics are handled in Nigeria, particularly travel and accommodation, for which Iwobi got in trouble for sharing a video about a hotel.
The midfielder shared a video of the surroundings of the hotel where the Super Eagles were lodged in Morocco during the African playoff for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Source: Getty Images
It sparked outrage in the Nigerian media, and Iwobi was forced to post another video clarifying that he meant no harm with the initial post, and that it was misconstrued.
The former Everton midfielder admitted that it took a lot of convincing from his dad and uncle, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha, to try to play for Nigeria.
He added that poor pitches and strict coaches, who call you out and punish you for every mistake, make it difficult to play for Nigeria. However, he has no regrets.
“I have no regrets. I do love England, but I think because I grew up in a Nigerian household, it's always been a part of me,” he concluded.
A Nigerian journalist who pleaded anonymity to protect relationships admits that Nigerian football is dying at an alarming rate. Players have been subtly hinting at everything wrong, but nothing has been done.
"Nigerian football is dying and other than some concerned citizens, the football administrators are doing nothing. Imagine not having a sports complex over the years, where our footballers identify with," he told Legit.ng.
"These recent desperate attempts to get foreign-born players are because we have not developed our football. When was the last time a player came through our system? The likes of Victor Osimhen, Samuel Chukwueze, Taye Taiwo, Mikel Obi were those who developed out of Nigeria."
Why Osayi-Samuel chose Nigeria
Legit.ng previously reported that Bright Osayi-Samuel explained why he chose to represent Nigeria despite having the option of playing for England.
Osayi-Samuel, like Iwobi, was born in Nigeria and moved to England at a young age. He did not represent England at the youth level before playing for Nigeria.
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
