After Musiala, Adeyemi, Nmecha brothers and Schade, Germany cap-tie another Nigerian

The German Football Association have secured the international future of Nnamdi Collins, beating the Nigeria Football Federation in the race for the highly rated Eintracht Frankfurt centre-back, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.

Collins made his senior debut for Germany in their opening 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier against Slovakia in Bratislava on Thursday night, after progressing through the youth ranks.

The Düsseldorf-born defender had been eligible to represent Nigeria through his father, but his competitive appearance for Germany now cap-ties him to the four-time world champions. 

Under current Fifa regulations, players can switch allegiance only if they have played three or fewer senior games before turning 21. 

Having celebrated his 21st birthday on January 10, Collins is no longer eligible to represent the Super Eagles.

It was a difficult introduction at senior level for the former Borussia Dortmund youth teamer, who struggled in the first half and was replaced by David Raum at the interval as Germany suffered a 2-0 loss. 

Germany's ability to secure the services of dual-national players has been a recurring theme in recent years, with the likes of Jamal Musiala, Karim Adeyemi, Kevin Schade, Felix Nmecha and Lukas Nmecha all committing their futures to the European giants instead of Nigeria. 

Nigeria have had their share of victories in the tug-of-war for German-Nigerian players, with Leon Balogun, Jordan Torunarigha and Kevin Akpoguma all choosing to represent the Super Eagles at senior level.

That trend could continue this month as Werder Bremen fullback Felix Agu, a former Germany U21 international, has reported for Nigeria duty in Uyo and is in contention to play a cap-tying match in the World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and South Africa.
 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

Photo Credit: dfb.de

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