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Amaju Pinnick Reveals How Advanced Talks Failed to Secure Eberechi Eze for Super Eagles
Former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick has revealed that Eberechi Eze’s decision not to represent Nigeria came despite advanced discussions and a strong personal affection for the country.
Eze, now an Arsenal midfielder, was eligible to play for the Super Eagles early in his career and even trained with the national team during a camp in London in 2017, while he was still with Queens Park Rangers.
Speaking on The Playzone and Dangolo Way podcast, Pinnick disclosed that Nigeria believed the talented midfielder was on the verge of committing his international future to the country before opting to wait for an opportunity with England.
“Eberechi Eze came, I met the dad, and we had a long discussion, and he agreed to play for Nigeria,” Pinnick said.
According to him, preparations were already at an advanced stage, with all documentation ready to be finalised.
“His sister was his manager at the time. She came to my flat and we already had all the documentation in place,” he added.
However, Pinnick explained that the process was unexpectedly paused, after which events took a different turn.
“They told us to hold on, and that was it. Maybe then the elections came and I left the NFF, and that’s probably why he didn’t play,” Pinnick said.
He insisted that Eze’s hesitation was not due to a lack of emotional connection to Nigeria.
“Possibly, because Eberechi loved Nigeria. I can tell you that. I went through my messages with him at some point,” he revealed.
Eze eventually made his senior England debut in 2023, six years after his involvement with Nigeria. He has since earned 16 caps for the Three Lions, starting four matches.
During Pinnick’s tenure as NFF president between 2014 and 2022, Nigeria successfully convinced several foreign-born players — including Alex Iwobi, Ola Aina, Ademola Lookman and Calvin Bassey — to switch allegiance to the Super Eagles.
However, others such as Jamal Musiala, Karim Adeyemi, Tammy Abraham and Eze ultimately chose to represent European nations.
Pinnick compared Eze’s case to that of Ademola Lookman, whose switch to Nigeria took time and persistence.
“Lookman was very tough,” he said. “I didn’t even know his father was in Nigeria, but I was referred to him, and we played tennis together at the Ikoyi Club when we were trying to sign the documentation. It was tough, but eventually we got him and so many others.”
Nigeria head coach Gernot Rohr had included Eze in plans for friendly matches against Senegal and Burkina Faso in 2017, but both games were later cancelled due to security concerns, delaying what could have been the midfielder’s Super Eagles debut.
Eze’s story remains one of the most notable near-misses in Nigeria’s long-running efforts to recruit foreign-born talent, highlighting how fine the margins can be in international football allegiance decisions.
