Arsenal attacking midfielder Alex Iwobi has revealed that his uncle, Austin Okocha, and family played a big role to convince him to play for Nigeria rather than England.
Alex’s dad, former Vasco da Gama of Enugu defender Chuka Iwobi, personally brought him to Abuja to train with the Nigeria U23 national team early last year as he was double-minded regarding whether or not to commit his international future to the Super Eagles.
“It was my decision, but Jay-Jay and my family did have a big influence on me,” Iwobi told Sky Sports.
“In my head it felt like the right decision to play for Nigeria - and I felt very at home when I went to play for them.”
Iwobi was born in Nigeria but moved to the United Kingdom with his family at the age of two.
The 20-year-old accumulated 11 caps for England youth teams before making his competitive debut for Nigeria.