Bukayo Saka Breaks Silence, Reveals Why He Decided to Ignore Nigeria for England Football Team

• Bukayo Saka says the transformation of the England national team is his reason for ignoring Super Eagles for the Three Lions
• The Arsenal star had featured for England youth teams, with many urging him to play senior national team football for Nigeria
• He has now played 14 matches for the Three Lions of England but disclosed that he will always do his best to support Nigeria

Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has disclosed that he chose to play for the Three Lions of England because they have transformed, but admitted that he is still a fan of the Nigerian team.

The utility player who had featured for the England youth teams was linked with switching nationality to play for Nigeria at the senior level, The Cable report.

He however decided to play for the Three Lions and made his debut on June 2, in a friendly against Austria where he scored his first senior international goal, the only goal in the 1–0 win.

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Saka has now played 14 times for the England national team with four goals to his credit. Back in 2020, he told Metro:

“I feel like I’m really, really proud of my Nigerian heritage. I always still watch Nigeria’s games where I can and I wish them all the best and support them all the way.

“But I’ve seen the process of how England are transforming and I think in the future they’re going to do great stuff. I feel like it was right for me to choose England.

“My dad was born here, my mum was born in Nigeria, but they both grew up in Nigeria and met each other in Nigeria.

“Especially my football career, my dad always pushed me, he took me to training on days where sometimes it would take two hours to get to training, so I’ll always be so grateful for my parents for the work they’ve done for me.”

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Why Dele Alli rejected Super Eagles

Meanwhile, Dele Alli had a season to forget at Everton and could already be heading out in the summer.

The Nigerian-born midfielder signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the Toffees in January from Tottenham on a free transfer.

Alli gradually began to withdraw from family members after signing his professional contract with MK Dons at the age of 16. He last spoke to his mum in 2015.

Tammy Abraham speaks on why he turned down Nigeria

Sports Brief earlier reported that AS Roma forward Tammy Abraham has admitted that he turned down Nigeria in order to pursue an international career with England.

The English-born of Nigerian descent was vital for Jose Mourinho's side throughout the Europa Conference League, becoming the club's top scorer with nine goals.

He has gone ahead to establish himself as the livewire for the Giallorossi, becoming the highest-scoring Englishman across Europe’s big leagues this season.