Michael Olise’s refusal to represent Nigeria was rooted in an early and unwavering belief in his own potential — a conviction that has since been thoroughly vindicated. That is the assessment of former Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr, who has spoken publicly about his failed attempt to bring the winger into the Nigeria setup back in 2019.
Speaking in a recent interview with Brila, Rohr recalled personally scouting Olise alongside his assistant, Tunde, before making a direct approach. “In 2019, I saw this player and I had a look on him with my assistant, Tunde. We went to watch a match and we tried to invite him but he did not want to join us at the time,” the German coach said.
Rohr offered his own interpretation of the rejection, suggesting Olise had already mapped out a different international path. “Because I think he already knew he can have a big future in an European team and can play for several countries, of course,” he said. “And this player, six or seven years ago when we saw him he was so strong. Unfortunately, he refused to play for Nigeria.”
The pursuit of Olise was part of a broader strategy employed by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) during Rohr’s tenure, which ran from August 2016 to December 2021, to recruit elite players of Nigerian descent who were born or raised abroad. That policy yielded notable successes — Ola Aina, Joe Aribo, Maduka Okoye, and Kevin Akpoguma all committed to Nigeria under Rohr — but Olise and fellow England-based attacker Eberechi Eze were among the high-profile targets who ultimately chose other paths.
Now 24, Olise has more than justified his decision. After establishing himself at Crystal Palace, he secured a high-profile transfer to Bayern Munich, where he has developed into one of the most dangerous attacking players in European club football. Internationally, he chose to represent France, for whom he has accumulated 15 caps and scored 4 goals for Les Bleus to date.
The contrast between Olise’s current standing and Nigeria’s present situation is considerable. While the winger is expected to feature for France at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, the Super Eagles will not be at the tournament at all. Nigeria endured a damaging CAF qualification campaign, finishing behind group winners South Africa and subsequently losing to DR Congo in the playoffs — a result that ended their hopes of reaching the global showpiece.
Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup represents a significant low point for a nation that reached the Round of 16 at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and has historically been one of the continent’s most prominent footballing forces. The Super Eagles last missed a World Cup in 2006, making the current absence all the more notable.
For Rohr, the Olise episode underlines the difficulty federations face when competing for dual-national players who have grown up in Europe with realistic ambitions of representing top-ranked nations. The NFF has continued to pursue a similar recruitment model under subsequent coaches, though cases like Olise’s serve as a reminder that eligibility alone does not guarantee commitment.
