Aluko wants to emulate Kanu, Oliseh

Hull City winger Sone Aluko has revealed that he was inspired to play for Nigeria by ex-Super Eagles stars Nwankwo Kanu and Sunday Oliseh.

The 25-year-old, who played for England at U-16, U-17, U-18, U-19 and U-20 levels but opted to play for Nigeria at senior level, says he wants to follow in the footsteps of the Atlanta ’96 Olympic Games gold medalists.

His sister, Eniola, is an English international but Aluko, who was born in England, made his senior debut for Nigeria in May 2009 in an international friendly against Ireland before going on to represent the country at that same year’s U-20 World Cup in Egypt. Continue..

The former Glasgow Rangers played his second match for Nigeria in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa in Cape town on Wednesday, which ended in a goalless draw. He was an unused substitute on Saturday when the Eagles recorded a shock 3-2 defeat to Congo at the U.J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar.

The player says he has no regrets over his decision to play for Nigeria, saying he hopes to follow the career paths of the likes of Kanu, Oliseh and other top Nigerian stars.

“I have not been part of the squad for two years but I’ve never looked back and said, ‘I should have played for England.’ I feel like a Nigerian player. When I was young, I used to talk to Nigerian players like (Nwankwo) Kanu, Austin Okocha, Sunday Oliseh and all the great players of that era. Naturally, I want to follow in their footsteps,” the former Flying Eagles forward told our correspondent in Calabar.

“Its tough (playing in Africa) just like any other continent. There are the big teams like Nigeria, the Ivorians, the Ghanaians and the Cameroonians. There are the smaller teams as well, just like you have in Europe.

“No international games these days are easy. We all saw how Iran gave Nigeria a tough fight at the World Cup.”