Tug of war for Bayern Munich loanee: Coaches of world and African champions give updates on Imade

Coaches of the reigning world and African champions, Sonia Bermudez of Spain and Justin Madugu of Nigeria, have provided updates on the international future of Bayern Munich loanee Edna Imade, who is eligible to represent three countries.

Imade qualifies to play for Morocco, where she was born; Nigeria, through her parents; and Spain, where she has lived for more than two decades.

The 25-year-old forward has been one of the standout performers in the Spanish Liga F, but she has yet to make her international debut for Spain due to ongoing eligibility processes.

Before naming her squad for Spain's recent UEFA Women's Nations League semifinal against Sweden, Bermudez personally scouted Imade during Real Sociedad's match against Levante UD at Zubieta.

However, the forward was ultimately left out of the final squad.

Bermudez explained that Imade's omission was due to bureaucratic delays in completing her Spanish citizenship process, which would make her eligible to represent La Roja.

In quotes relayed by Tele Madrid, Bermudez stated: "We're in the process of getting her to join us; we just need to sort out some paperwork. 

"She's a player we want to be with Spain. We're obviously keeping her in mind."

Allnigeriasoccer.com exclusively reported back in January that Imade was open to representing the Super Falcons despite being on the radar of the the Royal Spanish Football Federation.

Confirming the report, Nigeria coach Justin Madugu revealed that the Real Sociedad forward had initially shown a strong desire to play for the record African champions. 

He added that the Nigeria Football Federation has made several efforts to establish contact with the player, but acknowledged that the reported interest from Spain might be complicating matters.

"She had an excellent season with Granada and is doing well at Real Sociedad," Madugu told ACL Sports. 

"Despite our efforts, writing to her club and reaching out through players in Spain, she's yet to make up her mind. Whatever she decides, we respect her decision.

"I was reliably informed she was initially keen on playing for Nigeria. I just hope her reps aren’t making things difficult due to reported interest from Spain. 

"We value her talent and would gladly give her the chance to represent her fatherland."

The Nigeria Football Federation previously missed out on Barcelona's teenage sensation Vicky Lopez, who, like Edna Imade, had once expressed interest in representing the African powerhouse before making a cap-tying appearance for her country of birth, Spain.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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