German Onugkha has expressed his desire to play for the Super Eagles of Nigeria after snubbing the banned Russian national team.

German Onugkha, who is currently 28 years old, was born in Russia to a Russian mother and a Nigerian father.

Recently, Russia’s national team, which had been banned from participating in UEFA and FIFA competitions since the country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, invited Onugkha to the team, but he turned down the offer.

If Onugkha had accepted the invite, he would have made his international debut against Thailand and Vietnam this September at 28 years old.

The striker, who currently plays for the Danish club FC Copenhagen, cited his desire to focus on his future and club commitments in Europe as the reason for rejecting the call-up.

Onugkha is now actively pursuing the possibility of playing for the Super Eagles and is planning to visit the Nigerian embassy in Copenhagen to apply for a Nigerian passport.

“I decided to say no because I wanted to focus on my next club, my future, and therefore I said that it would be better for me to stay here in Europe”, German Onugkha told reporters.

“During the next month, I will try to get a Nigerian passport because my father is from there. So I will go to the Embassy here in Copenhagen and see if I can get it, then we will see.”