Former Super Eagles coach José Peseiro has revealed that Ademola Lookman committed to Nigeria only after realizing his path to the England senior team was blocked following his youth success.
Former Nigeria coach José Peseiro has claimed Ademola Lookman switched international allegiance because England stopped calling him up.
Despite winning the 2017 U-20 World Cup with the Three Lions, the Atletico Madrid forward moved to the Super Eagles in 2022.
Since then, Lookman has become a continental star, winning the CAF Player of the Year and recording 20 goal involvements in 41 appearances for Nigeria.
Peseiro noted that Lookman’s initial hesitation stemmed from a desire to represent his birth country.
He said: “He was just a kid, but he always told me how sad he was because after winning the Under-20 World Cup in 2017 and reaching the Under-21s, England stopped calling him up. He didn’t understand it; he thought he had a future there, but he had to accept it.”