Gernot Rohr Explains Why Michael Olise Rejected Playing for Super Eagles
- Former Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr explained why Michael Olise rejected the chance to play for Nigeria
- Rohr scouted Olise’s talent and approached him, but the English-born attacker turned down the offer
- The former Crystal Palace winger pledged his allegiance to France among the four countries he is eligible to play for
Former Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr has opened up about why Michael Olise rejected the opportunity to play for Nigeria during his time in charge of the team.
Rohr’s tenure as Super Eagles boss saw the arrival of many foreign-born players into the team as Nigeria intensified efforts to capture their diaspora talents.
Source: Getty Images
The current core of the Super Eagles includes the foreign-born players who represented Nigeria under Rohr and remain active today.
Retired captain William Troost-Ekong, Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, Ola Aina, 2024 CAF Best Ademola Lookman, amongst others, have featured prominently for Nigeria.
Why Olise rejected Nigeria
Gernot Rohr, speaking in an interview with Brila FM, has confirmed that he made an audacious approach to get Olise to represent Nigeria.
Olise was born in England to a Nigerian father and a Franco-Algerian mother, meaning he could represent Nigeria, Algeria, France and England.
The winger was playing for Reading FC in the EFL Championship when Rohr spotted him, but the player refused the chance to play for Nigeria.
“In 2019, I saw this player (Michael Olise) with my assistant Tunde (Adelakun),” the German tactician said. “We had a look at him, we went to watch a match, and we tried to invite him, but he didn’t want to join us this time.
“I think he already knew he could have a big future in a European team. He can play for several countries, of course.”
The current Benin head coach claimed that the player he saw seven years ago had special talent, and said he was gutted that the attacker turned him down.
“This player was already playing well. As at when we saw him, that was six to seven years ago, we saw him so strong. Unfortunately, he refused to play for Nigeria,” he added.
Source: Getty Images
Olise’s career progressed rapidly as he left the Championship and joined Crystal Palace in the Premier League in the summer of 2021, where he excelled.
He left the London-based club in 2024 and moved to German Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, with Chelsea also interested in his signature at that time.
The left-footed winger has developed into one of the best in the world in his position and is in the Ballon d'Or conversation this season.
He has helped Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga and reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, scoring 20 goals and providing 29 assists in 47 games in all competitions, as noted by Transfermarkt.
Why Ola Aina chose to play for Nigeria
Legit.ng previously reported that Ola Aina explained why he chose to represent the Super Eagles of Nigeria despite being born in London, England.
Aina played for the youth teams of the England setup, but switched his international allegiance in 2017 to represent the country of his parents.
Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
