Iheanacho opens up about Super Eagles’ return

Kelechi Iheanacho has opened up on his return to the Super Eagles as the team prepares to face Russia in Tuesday’s international friendly.

‘No matter who the Super Eagles play, I’m ready to play’

Iheanacho, 30, returned to the Super Eagles after more than a year away and says his love for the green, white and green has never faded.

“I’ve been in the Super Eagles in general for a long time, from the U-12, the U-13 to the U-15, the U-17 and the Super Eagles, so I’ve been here a long time,” Iheanacho said in an interview from camp.

“I am not coming to the national team because of anyone but because of the love I have for the game and the passion. It is everyone’s dream to play in the Super Eagles as long as you are Nigerian and I have been living that dream for a long time to play in the national team from the youth level to here.

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“Even if it’s a five-man team or under-15, the Eagles play and I’m invited to play, it doesn’t matter because it’s my passion. So it’s a joy and I’m very happy to be here and I hope we have a beautiful outing on Tuesday.”

Shock move to Bursaspor

After helping Celtic win the League and Cup double last season while on loan from Sevilla, Iheanacho surprisingly joined Bursaspor in the Turkish second division.

Many fans questioned the move, but Iheanacho stated that it is a competitive league and he does not regret his decision.

“As a player, you have reasons to go to any club in Türkiye,” he said. “For me, football is the same all over the world, wherever you go and you have to play football like it is played everywhere.

“Some of us are in Turkey and in the division I play in there are a lot of Nigerians there, but to be fair, it is a good league. I don’t know how people rate the league, but it is a really good league and it is not easy as we think. I am enjoying it and so are they and you can say it favors the Nigerians, but it is a good league.”

Magnificent scoring form for Bursaspor

The move has paid off, as Iheanacho has 11 goals and two assists in eight games and is the current top scorer in the league.

His impressive performance forced Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle to include him in his team for the friendly match against Russia.

By James Agberebi