Amaju Pinnick Regrets Tammy Abraham’s England Choice, Says Striker Could Have Thrived with Super Eagles

Former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has expressed regret over Tammy Abraham’s decision to represent England at international level instead of Nigeria, revealing that discussions with the striker were at an advanced stage before he opted otherwise.

Abraham, who is eligible to play for Nigeria through his heritage, went on to earn 11 caps for England, scoring three goals. However, the 28-year-old has not featured for the Three Lions since June 2022, a situation Pinnick believes could have played out very differently had the forward committed to the Super Eagles.

Speaking on the matter, Pinnick disclosed that an agreement had effectively been reached before Abraham changed his mind at the last moment.

“Tammy Abraham, we sat together and had agreed that he would come to play for Nigeria, but at the last moment he changed his decision,” Pinnick said.

The former NFF chief admitted the outcome remains a personal disappointment, stressing that his relationship with Abraham’s family made the situation even more painful.

“Now he’s 28 and has returned to Aston Villa, but I can tell you that I regret it. I spoke to his father — we grew up together,” he added.

Pinnick further suggested that Abraham could have enjoyed a more consistent and prominent international career with Nigeria, pointing to past cases of players who struggled to cement long-term roles with England.

“He would have played for Nigeria. Agbonlahor played three games and that was it,” Pinnick noted.

Abraham’s international future remains uncertain as he continues to fall out of England contention, while Nigeria has increasingly benefited from foreign-born players opting to represent the Super Eagles, strengthening the depth and quality of the national team.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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