Rohr reveals failed attempt to convince Olise to play for Nigeria

Former Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr has revealed that he struggled to convince Michael Olise to represent Nigeria.

Rohr revealed that he first identified Olise’s talent around 2019, when the midfielder was still a teenager.

“In 2019 I saw this player (Michael Olise) with my assistant Tunde (Adelakun).

“We saw him, we went to see a game and we tried to invite him, but this time he didn’t want to join us because I think he already knew that he can have a great future in a European team.

“Of course, it can play in several countries.”

Rohr realized that the player was special

“This player was already playing well,” the German told Brila.net exclusively.

“When we saw him, six or seven years ago, we saw him very strong. Unfortunately, he refused to play for Nigeria.”

Subsequent reports indicated that Olise was placed on Nigeria’s waiting list in March 2021 for the African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

However, he eventually committed his international future to France, progressing through the youth ranks before breaking into senior football.

Also read: Super Eagles star’s ‘excessive’ contract demands and links to Beşiktaş

Since then, Olise’s career has continued to ascend rapidly.

After an impressive spell at Crystal Palace, where he played a key role in helping the club secure FA Cup success, he earned a move to Bayern Munich at the start of the season.

At Bayern, Olise has already added important titles to his name, winning multiple Bundesliga titles.

He also helped the club reach the final of the DFB Cup and the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.