Odion Ighalo, Manchester United striker, said age factor, the need to give the younger generations the chance they deserved and the need to concentrate on his club football, were the reasons why he quit the Super Eagles, which he once captained.
Shortly after his superlative performance where he won the top scorer award at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, he announced his retirement from the team, in a way that raised eyebrows, with some speculating that he could be having a beef with either the team managers or the nation’s football administrators.
But, this seems not to be the case as the prolific goal scorer said the long distance from China to Nigeria and back to come and play for Nigeria, denied him of the concentration he needed in his Shanghai Shenhua club, from where he recently moved to United.
Ighalo, who spoke on Instagram Live with Ghanaian journalist Nana Aba Anamoah, said he made the decision at the right time, pointing out that there are exciting young players in the Super Eagles team.
“I got injured in the third place game with Tunisia, in the first half I pulled my hamstring, I have been having problems on that hamstring even before the tournament,” Ighalo said.
“I needed to stop because it is too long from China to Nigeria for national team duties, I am not getting young again and we have lot of young exciting players coming up, Victor Osimhen doing so well, Iwobi and Chukwueze are there.
“I thought about it, this is the right time for me to leave.
“It was a difficult decision because I love playing for my country, it’s a country that gave me everything I have today so anytime I am being called upon to play for my country it is a joy to play.
“That decision was difficult but I have to do it for my health for me to play longer in my club career, then I have to stop traveling very far.”