Barcelona defender Godswill Ekpolo could make his competitive debut for the Nigeria U23s at the 2016 Olympic Games, coach Samson Siasia has strongly hinted.
The 21-year-old was born in Benin City but has has lived in Spain for more than fourteen years, meaning he is eligible to represent the European powerhouse as well as the Super Eagles.
Having said that, the highly-rated fullback has committed his international future to Nigeria and was handed his debut back in March when the Olympic squad defeated Brazil 1-0 in an international friendly.
Despite the regular season of the Segunda División B concluded, Ekpolo was not considered for the Suwon Tournament in South Korea, fueling speculation that he is out of the Olympic Games squad.
Allnigeriasoccer.com reported with certainty two months ago that Godswill Ekpolo has been included in Nigeria’s provisional roster for the Olympic Games, and Siasia confirmed as much when quizzed if the young star will attend the training camp.
Siasia told allnigeriasoccer.com : “Yes, Godswill Ekpolo is in my plans for the Olympic Games and will attend the training camp.”
The ex-Nantes striker earlier informed this website that former Real Madrid stopper Derik Osede will not represent the Dream Team at the Olympic Games even though he has pledged his international future to Nigeria, after playing competitively for Spain’s youth teams.
Ekpolo has been on the books of Barcelona since 2005 and helped the U19 squad win the UEFA Youth League in 2014, going the distance in the showpiece game against Benfica.