'My parents were born in Lagos' - Gabriel Osho explains Super Eagles eligibility, why he couldn't debut in March

Auxerre star Gabriel Osho has committed his international future to Nigeria over his country of birth England and landed in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on Monday ahead of a possible cap-tying game for the three-time African champions.

Born and raised in Reading, the central defender has confirmed that he is qualified to play for the Super Eagles by virtue of being born to a Nigerian father and mother who are natives of Lagos. 

Despite holding dual nationality, it is believed that Osho prioritized playing for Nigeria instead of England, given he was invited to attend a Golden Eaglets training camp in 2015.

Osho was handed his first call-up to the Super Eagles for their internationals in March 2024 against West African rivals Ghana and Mali, following his exploits with Luton Town in the Premier League.

The 26-year-old has confirmed that he was unfortunately unable to play his first matches with the Super Eagles eight months ago due to injury.

A serious hamstring injury suffered by another English-born centre-back Semi Ajayi opened the door for Osho to be recalled to the national team for the upcoming competitive matches against Benin's Cheetahs and Rwanda's Wasps.

In an interview with the Super Eagles media team made available to allnigeriasoccer.com, Osho said: "My name is Gabriel Osho, defender for Auxerre and the Super Eagles. Both my parents were born in Lagos, I am happy to be here.

“I have been invited before but I couldn't come because of injury and one or two other things, but when this time came, I could finally join up with the team.”

Osho has vowed to give his best if selected for Thursday's game and is impressed with the quality of players in the Super Eagles squad, especially the attack, which includes the likes of Victor Osimhen, Victor Boniface, Ademola Lookman, and Kelechi Iheanacho.

"I'll just work as hard as I can. That's what the fans can expect from every single player here, everyone is talented enough to be here.

"All you have to do is look at the frontline, you'll see the names and all the players. The players that are here and the players that couldn't be selected in the squad this time, the country is full of talented players.

"To get a call-up is a great honour for me because I know there are so many great players from Nigeria that are not here at the moment."

Osho will train for the first time with the national team on Tuesday evening, starting at 1900 hours local time.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

Photo Credit: Instagram

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