Ex-Man City striker reveals why he chose to represent Germany ahead of England, Nigeria
Ex-Man City striker reveals why he chose to represent Germany ahead of England, Nigeria
The Super Eagles have German-born players like Maduka Okoye and Leon Balogun in their squad, but they have missed out on a former Manchester City
Former Manchester City striker Lucas Nmecha has revealed he chose to represent Germany ahead of Nigeria and England because he was born in the country.
Nmecha was born in Hamburg to a Nigerian father before moving to England at the age of seven. As a result, he is eligible to play for any of the three countries.
The 22-year-old represented the Three Lions at the youth level before he decided to switch international allegiance to the four-time World Champions.
Nmecha recently received his first call-up to the German national team in the latest international break. The youngster has now said it was logical he chose Germany, given he was born in the country.
“I was born here; I just have more of a connection with the German national team,” Nmecha told the Bundesliga media channel.
The Wolfsburg striker also revealed former Germany U21 coach, now Turkish national team manager, Stefan Kuntz swayed his decision.
“Also, at the time, the coach Stefan Kuntz really convinced me and showed me that there is a path for me.”
“I think that has really come to show. You see players like Adeyemi and guys like that, who are managing to get into that first-team squad.”
“And doing well at that level. I've played with those guys, and I know where I stand in terms of quality compared to those players.”
Despite choosing to represent Germany, Nmecha still shares a soft spot for Nigeria, which is his father's country. He revealed he has visited the country before and still hopes to visit in the future.
“Yeah, my dad has got a lot of family out there,” Nmecha said. It's been a really long time since I've been there. I think I was seven years old the last time I went.”
“But it's definitely a thing on the bucket list when I do get a good amount of time off. That'll definitely be somewhere I'll be going soon,” he added.