Gernot Rohr: “Michael Olise preferred France over Nigeria”
Courted by the Super Eagles, Michael Olise had already made up his mind years ago. The Benin coach, Gernot Rohr, reveals that the Bayern Munich player had declined Nigeria’s approach as early as 2019, preferring an international future with France.
There isn’t really any mystery in this case, but rather a well-considered choice. The former Nigeria manager, Gernot Rohr, has spoken about Michael Olise’s decision not to represent the Super Eagles. Now a Bayern Munich player, the 24-year-old winger nevertheless had a wide range of options on the international scene. Born in England to a Nigerian father and a French-Algerian mother, he was eligible for Nigeria, Algeria, France, or England, before opting for France.
In an interview given to Brila FM, Rohr says that the player’s choice did not date from yesterday. « In 2019, I saw Michael Olise with my assistant Tunde Adelakun. We tried to invite him, but he did not wish to join us at that moment », he said. And he insisted: « He was already playing very well. When we saw him, six or seven years ago, he was in good shape and, unfortunately, he refused to play for Nigeria. » A premature decision therefore, which confirms that the Olise dossier has never really escaped the Nigerian federation, but was above all a clear and assumed career choice by the player.
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