Nelson Osayi, father of Bright Osayi-Samuel, has revealed that his son was not born in Nigeria as widely believed, but in Europe.
For years, reports suggested that the Super Eagles defender was born in Okija, Anambra State. However, Nelson has now clarified that while he is proudly Nigerian, his son was actually born abroad, though he declined to name the exact country.
Nelson, who hails from Lagos and once played football himself, previously lived in Germany before moving to Spain in search of better opportunities. He explained that he deliberately chose to raise his children outside Nigeria.
Ahead of Osayi-Samuel’s international debut against Portugal national football team, the defender did not yet have a Nigerian passport. The Nigeria Football Federation stepped in to fast-track the process, with the Nigerian embassy in Ankara reportedly travelling to Istanbul to deliver the document in time.
In an interview recorded in 2023 and released Tuesday by Elegebte TV Sports, Nelson spoke about how he raised his son with strong Nigerian values despite being born abroad.
“I am a Nigerian. He was born here in Europe. I have told him everything about my country right from when he was even a year old. I knew they would call him to the national team,” he said.
He added that he prepared his son for the cultural differences between Nigeria and Europe, emphasizing discipline and awareness.
Bright Osayi-Samuel has since gone on to earn 34 caps for Nigeria and played an important role in the team’s bronze-medal finish at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
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.
