I’ve always wanted to play for Nigeria – Osho

New Super Eagles defender Gabriel Osho says he had always wanted to play for the country at the age-grade level as the AJ Auxerre player opens up on his Nigeria connection before his latest invitation to the team for the 2025 AFCON qualifiers, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Osho was handed his first Super Eagles cap by coach Austin Eguavoen last Thursday during the penultimate 2025 AFCON qualifier against the Benin Republic at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

He was initially called up to the team for two friendly matches against Ghana and Mali in March, but he was ruled out with an injury.

But that wasn’t his first connection with any Nigerian national team, as he revealed at the team’s camp in Uyo, where they are preparing for the last game against Rwanda on Monday (today).

“It wasn’t hard. I even came to Nigeria before the U-17 team won the World Cup in 2015. I came to the camp, and I have always wanted to play for Nigeria,” he said via Victor Modo.

“I have come to Nigeria four times before while growing up with my family. Your family blood is the real blood. It was never a hard decision for me to come back here,” he added.

Osho, who made the switch from England to represent Nigeria—where his parents hail from Ejigbo, Lagos, according to him—lasted 45 minutes before being substituted at halftime.

The decision came after a challenging first half for the Super Eagles, who found themselves trailing Benin after a shocking goal from a corner kick that slipped under goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali.

Regardless of the way his debut ended, the 26-year-old was full of excitement as he relished the moment.

“It’s been great. I’ve been so happy to be here. It’s been a long time coming, so I’m just thankful to God for the opportunity to be here, and it’s very different. It was nice weather before, and then we started to warm up. The rain came like crazy, but it was a good experience,” Osho told OgaNLA media.

“The team did what we needed to do to get the job done and qualify. I think we could have played better as a team and me individually as well, and thank God everyone came out without injury, and we are thankful for the win,” he added.

Osho played for Luton in the Premier League in the 2023/24 season and switched to Auxerre in France for the new campaign, where he has already made nine appearances in the French topflight.