March 05, (THEWILL) – Odion Jude Ighalo has answered Super Eagles fans, who have criticised his return to the national team by saying it was his prerogative to respond to the national call.
THEWILL recalls that after earning the best-scorer award at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, the former Manchester United and Watford striker, announced his retirement from international football.
Ighalo finally surrendered to pressure from Nigeria Football Federation president, Amaju Pinnick and then-manager Gernot Rohr in November 2021, and played in a 2022 World Cup qualifier against Cape Verde that same month.
Ighalo believes he still has something to give the Super Eagles at the age of 32, despite claims from some quarters that he is stifling the careers of players like Taiwo Awoniyi and Paul Onuachu by not sticking to his plan to retire.
“I don’t pay attention to that. Everything they’re saying is their own cup of tea. At my age, I just signed to a new team. This is my 11th team in my professional career,” Ighalo said to ESPN.
“I have been called up, I will take my bag and I will go to represent my country and give my best on 100%.
“As long as I come out from every game and I’m satisfied with my performance — whether it is a win, loss, or draw — then that’s it. I’m a professional footballer.
“This is what I’ve been doing for 17-18 years, so why would I be worried about what people say?”
In the 2021-2022 campaign so far, Ighalo has seen a rejuvenation, scoring 18 goals in 25 games for Al Hilal and Al Shabab combined.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
