Nedum Onuoha Admits Snubbing Nigeria Is His Biggest Career Regret

Former defender, Nedum Onuoha has revealed that turning down the chance to represent the Nigeria national football team stands as one of the biggest regrets of his professional career.

Speaking on The Mixer Podcast, the ex-Manchester City, Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers defender reflected on a pivotal decision he made during his early days at City.

Onuoha explained that his primary focus at the time was breaking into the first team after rising through the club’s academy ranks.

“Coming through the City academy and being a supporter of the club, nothing was more important to me than playing for City,” he said.

He disclosed that the opportunity to play for Nigeria came shortly after Roberto Mancini took charge at Manchester City. At the same time, competition for places intensified, with Dedryck Boyata moving ahead of him in the pecking order.

Around that period, the then Super Eagles coach invited him to feature at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). However, Onuoha feared that being away for several weeks could hurt his chances at club level.

“Thinking from the football standpoint, I realised going away for six weeks because of AFCON might not put me in a better position at City when I got back,” he explained.

He also noted that AFCON did not carry the same weight in European football at the time as it does today, adding that only top-tier African stars like Samuel Eto’o, Jay-Jay Okocha and John Obi Mikel could leave for international duty without risking their club status.

The former Premier League defender acknowledged that his decision drew criticism from Nigerian fans, who believed he had prioritized England over his heritage.

“I was put in the bracket of players that would rather beg to play for England than choose to play for their homeland Nigeria,” he said.

Now retired, Onuoha admits the decision still weighs on him, especially after missing out on international football entirely.

“Looking back on my career… I regret not playing international football,” he concluded.

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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