The list of players who will represent the senior national team of Nigeria in the upcoming world cup qualifiers games was made public last week by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
A total of 25 players were picked by new coach of the team Finidi George in his first official squad for the crucial games. The players were picked from the provisional list of 35 players who were given preliminary invitation.
Despite the non inclusion of the duo of William Troost-Ekong and Kenneth Omeruo due to injury and fitness concerns, the coach didn’t look the way of Leon Balogun who has been consistent for Scottish side Rangers over the past one month.
35 year old Balogun has played in 12 games this season, and insist he is still open to adding to his 49 caps for Nigeria if he is called up. He expressed his disappointment on missing out of the team for the last AFCON and now the 2026 world cup qualifiers.
“I never said that I’m not open for invitations. So when I signed for QPR last season, I was really, really unfortunate with untimely injuries at that point. So there was one thing in the first call-up around September I had just moved to Queens Park Rangers, and obviously I had a delayed start into the season”, Balogun said
‘So it wasn’t something serious, but it was better for me to stay away and that was communicated with the coach then, Jose Peseiro, and then after that, during the World Cup break and everything following, it’s just one injury that kept lingering on, which then ruled me out unfortunately.
” But I never said to anyone that I’m not available for call-ups anymore. I was actually a bit disappointed not even to be considered in the end for the 2023 AFCON, because I thought in the two months leading up to it, I had a very, very good run of games, was in form.
” But yeah, I mean, there’s speculations around things I don’t really know if it’s the truth or if it isn’t, but that’s also not my job. I can only put up or put my performances out there and I’m still very much keen on representing Nigeria, but I can only do so much. If the invitation comes, I will always honor it but if it isn’t, then there’s other things I have to think about.”
Speaking on his chances of getting into the team under the new coach, the former Brighton and Hove Albion defender says he can’t pass any judgment on the new man at the helm, because they only met when he was the assistant to former coach Jose Peseiro.
“It’s hard for me to say. I’ve met Finidi George as the assistant, but he was very composed, like in an observant role, more on the quiet part of things, and then he would sometimes grab players. So from that side, that was good.
But I don’t really know his coaching staff. So I don’t think I’m in a position where I could even give any judgment. But I think it’s always good to have players who have been in the game, who had success in their career, which he’s a perfect example of, if you have them, and then also becoming the coach of the national team”.
Ade Emmanuel
