October 03, (THEWILL) – Calvin Bassey, a young Rangers player, believes his Nigeria call-up will fulfil his mother’s ambition. As THEWILL reported, Nigerian coach, Gernot Rohr, picked the Ibrox defender in his selection for the first time as the Super Eagles prepare for World Cup qualifiers against Central African Republic (CAR) later this month.
The 21-year-old was eligible to play for England and Italy and has enjoyed a more prominent role with the Scottish Premiership champions this season, with his impressive start to the 2021/2022 campaign rewarded with his first international call-up by Nigeria.
Bassey explained that he wanted to represent Nigeria because of his mother. “My mother played a huge role in making me decide on playing for Nigeria,” Bassey, who made his Europa League debut against Sparta Prague on Thursday night, said.
“It has been her dream and I am glad she is alive to see it come to pass. If all goes well, she will likely follow me to Nigeria to see me in the colours of the team she loves, for the first time.”
And, Rohr admits he is pleased that Bassey accepted the call-up. “I am so proud of Bassey and happy that he chose Nigeria.That is why it is important to have him quickly because it is one of the last moments we can test new players. That is why he is in our list now,” Rohr said.
“Last time he was in our list, but he couldn’t come because of a positive COVID test. He was unlucky. Now it is October and this is the right moment, he is the only new player we have invited to this squad.”
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.
