Former Super Eagles striker Victor Ezeji has pointed fingers at the Nigeria Football Federation’s growing preference for foreign-based players, stating it has contributed to the national team’s recent struggles on the international stage, Footynaija.com reports.
In his comments, Ezeji did not hold back in questioning the logic behind Nigeria’s growing dependence on players developed abroad, particularly those born outside the country.
According to him, the move away from trusting players who have risen through Nigeria’s grassroots system and youth teams has left a damaging mark on the national setup.
“This problem began when we started relying on foreign-based players. Then, the day we moved from foreign-based to foreign-born, the anomalies got worse,” he said.
Ezeji, who had a distinguished playing career in the Nigerian top flight and also wore the national colours, noted that many of the country’s top young players now struggle to break into the Super Eagles, not because of a lack of quality, but because the team’s focus has shifted entirely to players with foreign backgrounds.
He added that the search for Nigerian-blooded players abroad has overshadowed the developmental work being done at home.
“That’s why we no longer look at players who went through the ranks of under-17 to under-23 playing for the Super Eagles. Now we are looking for foreign-born players everywhere,” Ezeji lamented in a report by Premium Times.
He further argued that the heavy reliance on players with dual nationality, who often develop their careers in Europe, has not produced the expected results.
Nigeria’s national team has failed to go beyond the group stage of the FIFA World Cup since 2014 and has not lifted the Africa Cup of Nations title since 2013.
Interestingly, key players in the current Super Eagles squad—such as Semi Ajayi, Calvin Bassey, Ademola Lookman, and Troost-Ekong—were all born abroad. In all, foreign-born players have amassed over a hundred caps for the national team, yet Nigeria’s trophy cabinet has remained unchanged in more than a decade.