Why I chose Nigeria ahead of England ―Iwobi

Iwobi celebrating with teammates after scoring his second goal against Argentina,

Arsenal FC’s midfielder Alex Iwobi has revealed why he chose Nigeria instead of England.

The attacking midfielder inspired the Super Eagles to a 4-2 win over Argentina with a brace in an international friendly match played in Russia on Tuesday.

Iwobi, who made his Nigeria debut in October 2015, is a former English youth international having played for the European side’s U-16, U-17 and U-18 teams.

However, at senior level the Lagos State-born attacker opted to switch allegiance the African side and has recently told explained why.

“I was growing up in England and England was the only national team I knew, so I was actually very pleased to play at national level,” Iwobi told Soccer Laduma.

“However, my family are all from Nigeria, I was born in Nigeria, my uncle (Jay-Jay Okocha) is a legend in Nigeria,” the 21-year-old stated.

“That’s why I thought I would give it a chance. That’s why I went to the U-23s and somehow felt more welcome, and I thought it’s where I belong, so I made the decision to switch.”

Iwobi’s solitary goal helped Nigeria beat Zambia 1-0 in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier last month and as a result, the Super Eagles booked their place in the finals.