- Nigeria started their pursuit of Lookman in 2017
- Lookman won the U20 FIFA World Cup with England in 2017
- He is eligible to play in next month’s World Cup qualifier against Ghana
World football governing body FIFA has approved Ademola Lookman’s request to switch nationality, allowing him to represent Nigeria. Lookman has featured previously for the youth set up in England where he was born and raised.
The youngster said he was excited and looks forward to his new journey with the Super Eagles.
“Delighted to announce that FIFA has approved my Nationality switch. Thank you for the warm welcome and I can’t wait to put on the Super Eagles shirt and represent the country,” Lookman said on his official Twitter handle, followed with the sign of an Eagle.
Ademola’s availability will be a huge boost for Nigeria ahead of next month’s World Cup qualification matches against Ghana.
Ademola Lookman posted this image on his official Twitter account
The 24-year-old, who is currently on loan at Leicester City from RB Leipzig, has previously represented England at U19, U20 and U21 levels. He was part of the England squad that won the Under-20 FIFA World Cup title in 2017.
He has also previously played for Everton FC and Fulham FC.
“Lookman is a great addition to the Super Eagles and after a long wait, we are delighted that he can finally play for us,” said Nigeria Football Federation boss Pinnick Amaju as quoted by the BBC.
Lookman is not the first England youth international to switch allegiances to Nigeria, with Sone Aluko, Victor Moses, Shola Ameobi, Alex Iwobi and Ola Aina all doing so previously.
Nigeria’s pursuit of the Leicester ace started in January 2017, when they asked him to represent their youth team after his performances for the English team at the World Cup.
The youngster’s both parents are Nigerian.
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