Emmanuel Babayaro, the 1996 Olympic gold medal-winning defender, has urged the Nigeria Football Federation to prioritize the development of homegrown talent over chasing dual-national players for the Super Eagles. In a recent statement on the ATHLST podcast, Babayaro highlighted concerns over Nigeria’s increasing reliance on players born abroad who have represented or could have represented other nations. He stressed that many of these players only turn to Nigeria after failing to break into senior squads in their adopted countries, calling this trend a sign of taking “the leftovers.”
Among the 28 players named in Nigeria’s provisional squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, five were born outside Nigeria and had eligibility with other national teams. These include Semi Ajayi, Ademola Lookman, Calvin Bassey, Ryan Alebiosu, and Cyriel Dessers. While Alex Iwobi, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, and Bright Osayi-Samuel were born in Nigeria, they had previously qualified to play for England and were part of the Young Lions setup before switching their allegiance to the Super Eagles.
Babayaro pointed out that players like Iwobi, Lookman, and Ola Aina initially played for England’s youth teams but switched to Nigeria after not securing senior opportunities with the Three Lions. He believes this pattern reflects a deeper issue — Nigeria’s football system is not producing enough top-tier talent domestically, forcing the federation to look abroad for alternatives. He emphasized that the focus should shift to nurturing local players through better youth development and domestic league structures.
His comments came amid Nigeria’s pursuit of Michael Kayode, a Brentford defender who played a key role in Italy’s 2023 European U19 Championship triumph, scoring the decisive goal in the final against Portugal. Babayaro suggested that Kayode’s preference for Italy over Nigeria is driven by the perceived prestige and quality of Italian football. “A lot of these players, their first instinct is that they would rather be with their adopted countries, the places where they think the football is bigger,” Babayaro said.
He warned that relying on players who choose Nigeria as a second option could undermine long-term success. “So more often than not, them coming back to say they are going to play for Nigeria is as a result of missing out on selection in their adopted countries. That means us taking the leftovers,” he added. Babayaro’s call comes as Nigeria aims to build a competitive squad capable of qualifying for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, a goal that may require a fundamental shift in how talent is identified and developed within the country.
With Nigeria’s football future at stake, Babayaro’s advice underscores the need for a stronger domestic pipeline to ensure sustainable success on the international stage.
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