Kevin Akpoguma is set to learn the Nigeria national anthem ahead of Friday’s friendly game against African champions Algeria. The Hoffenheim and Germany born defender is expected to make his debut against the North Africans at the Worthersee Stadium on Friday after he was cleared by FIFA to represent Nigeria.
According to him, he said: “I will learn the national anthem. Firstly, I have to learn the new song I will sing for the players because every new player has to sing for the older players. But I will learn the national anthem for Friday.” The player started this in an Instagram chat with the Super Eagles official Twitter handle.
The 25-year-old represented Germany at youth level before deciding to switch allegiance. The versatile defender stated that he made the switch because of the quality of players in the team. He said: “I decided to play for Nigeria because I saw a lot of potential in the country. We have top players like Victor Osimhen, Samuel Kalu, Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi.”
“These are top players that are playing in top leagues in Europe and if you put all of them together you’re going to have a great team.” ”For me, it’s a big honour to play with these guys. It’s not because I was born in Germany I will just walk into the team. I have to work hard and prove myself on the pitch. You can’t just walk into the team because you’re coming from Europe.”
“You have to train hard, and that is what I like about the team. I am really happy I decided to play for my fatherland. As a footballer, it is always a dream to play for your national team.”
“I played for the German youth teams and now I play for Nigeria. Every player wants to play in big tournaments like the Africa Cup of Nations, European Championships and the World Cup. I think this is a very huge honour and is good to have those experiences to tell your kids, how those competitions were.”
The player will be the second player to join Nigeria from German after goalkeeper Maduka Okoye joined Nigeria about a year ago.
