Lookman switches allegiance to Nigeria’s national team from England – Newstrends
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Lookman switches allegiance to Nigeria’s national team from England

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Ademola Lookman

Leicester City forward Ademola Lookman has officially switched to Nigeria and will likely represent the Super Eagles in upcoming international matches.

Lookman was not called into Nigeria’s upcoming November international fixtures, but could be a part of the squad for team’s next set of fixtures.

Lookman, who has played club football for Everton, RB Leipzig, and Fulham, joined Leicester City in the Premier League offseason.

The winger decided to switch his international allegiance to Nigeria from England, but must wait to make his debut. The Africa Cup of Nations will kick off in January and football fans around the world are debating which team will win the tournament.

The London-born player has struggled to break into the English national team, but hopes to get into the Nigeria team more easily.

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The 24-year-old has made 11 appearances for Leicester City thus far in 2021-22, scoring two goals.

He hasn’t been a regular for manager Brendan Rodgers, tallying just 548 minutes in 11 matches for an average of 50 minutes per appearance.

In 2020-21, Lookman played on loan at Fulham.

He scored four goals in 35 matches for the Cottagers, despite the team being relegated from the Premier League.

Lookman started his career in Charlton Athletics’ football academy in 2014.

He made a fast rise through the club’s academy and played for the first-team in November 2015.

Everton signed Lookman to a four-and-a-half-year-contract in January 2017. The forward scored four goals in 48 matches for Everton.

After a short loan at RB Leipzig in 2017-18, he signed a permanent five-year contract in July 2019 with the German club.

Lookman played for England at the youth level. He was a part of the England under-20 team that won the FIFA U20 World Cup in 2017.

Lookman is able to play for Nigeria thanks to his parents’ being Nigerian.

What’s the hold-up?

Although Lookman has switched allegiances to Nigeria from England, he will have to wait to make his debut for the team.

The Nigeria Football Federation hasn’t applied to FIFA for Lookman’s nationality change due to the player competing for England at U19, U20, and U21 level.

According to the Nigerian Football Federation, they are aware of Lookman’s intention to play for the national.

The national team will now look into completing the process to allow Lookman to play for Nigeria.

The football federation has stressed that manager Gernot Rohr would consider Lookman for the national team, if the player becomes eligible.

However, Lookman would not be an automatic selection.

Lookman is not the only player seeking a switch to align themselves with the Nigeria national team.

Milwall’s Sheyi Ojo, on loan from Liverpool; Reading’s Ovie Ejaria; PAOK’s Chuba Akpom; and Genk’s Ike Ugbo have also expressed their intentions to become members of the Nigeria national football team.

All four of the players have Nigerian parents despite being born elsewhere.

Nigeria’s national team has a number of exciting young forward players.

Villarreal’s Samuel Chukwueze, Bordeaux’s Samuel Kalu, and Lorient’s Terem Moffi are all in contention for regular places in the Nigeria team.

Lookman would compete with the trio of players for a spot in the national side.

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Juventus to sign Osimhen with player-plus-cash offer

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Victor Osimhen

Juventus to sign Osimhen with player-plus-cash offer

Juventus are preparing to offer a player-plus-cash deal to sign Nigerian international sensation Victor Osimhen from Napoli in the summer.

The Bianconeri have identified Osimhen as a key target for their offensive overhaul, and they are willing to include defender Federico Gatti in the deal to entice their Serie A rivals to negotiate.

According to Tuttosport, Juventus is aware of the complexities of the transaction, given Napoli’s reluctance to sell such a prominent player to a direct competitor.

Osimhen was instrumental in Napoli’s Scudetto-winning campaign in 2023, scoring 26 goals and becoming the first African to win the top scorer award as the club broke a 33-year jinx.

The Old Lady’s strategy includes capitalising on Napoli coach Antonio Conte’s fondness for Federico Gatti, hoping the centre-back will satisfy the Partenopei’s defensive issues while also enabling their pursuit of the Nigerian striker.

This move comes as Juventus prepares to unload Dusan Vlahovic and renegotiate Randal Kolo Muani’s loan with Paris Saint-Germain in order to extend his time at the Allianz Stadium beyond the summer.

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Osimhen, who is presently on loan at Galatasaray, has been in top form this season, netting 20 goals in 22 league games for the Turkish giants.

Osimhen, a 26-year-old striker, broke Segun Odegbami’s 44-year-old Nigerian goalscoring record during a 2-0 victory over Rwanda in a 2026 World Cup qualifier in Kigali.

Odegbami, Nigeria’s second-highest goal scorer since 1981, expressed delight at seeing his record broken.

“Osimhen has finally overtaken me, and I think that is good because the record has been hanging on for a very long time. I am very happy for him, and I want to say good luck to him,” Odegbami stated.

“He is still young, and he has a long way to go.”

The striker is currently second only to the late Rashidi Yekini on Nigeria’s all-time scoring list, with 37 goals.

Since making his Super Eagles debut in June 2017, Osimhen has established himself as the team’s talisman, with significant performances in AFCON qualifiers, where he scored two hat tricks in 2023.

Juventus to sign Osimhen with player-plus-cash offer

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Boxing heavyweight champion, George Foreman, dies at 76

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George Foreman

Boxing heavyweight champion, George Foreman, dies at 76

Two-time world heavyweight boxing champion and successful entrepreneur George Foreman has passed away at the age of 76.

His family announced that he died peacefully on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones.

“With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr, who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones,” his family said in a statement posted on the boxer’s official Instagram page.

“We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers and kindly ask for privacy as we honour the extraordinary life of a man we were blessed to call our own.”

Born in 1949 in Houston, Texas, Foreman overcame a challenging upbringing, finding direction through the Job Corps programme, where he discovered boxing.

“At 13 years old, George was about 6-foot-2, 200 pounds and the terrorist in the neighbourhood,” his younger brother Roy told the BBC in 2024.

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“And when you’re bigger and stronger and think you’re better than everyone else, you take things.”
Foreman’s athletic ability was shown when he won a gold medal at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.

At 19, he crushed his way to the super-heavyweight title, brandishing an American flag in the ring just days after Tommie Smith and John Carlos’ historic Black Power salute.

Standing 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and known as ‘Big George’, he was a formidable presence in the heavyweight division.

His destructive power and quickness propelled him fast up the professional ranks. In 1973, he won the heavyweight belt by destroying Joe Frazier in two rounds.

By October 1974, when Foreman defended his title against Muhammad Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), he had a perfect 40-0 record.

Ali’s ‘rope-a-dope’ tactic wore him down, and tired, Foreman gave up in the eighth round.

Foreman’s impact on boxing and beyond is permanent.

A two-time heavyweight champion, an Olympic gold medallist, a preacher, an entrepreneur, and a devoted family man, his life was one of success, atonement, and reinvention.

Boxing heavyweight champion, George Foreman, dies at 76

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Odegbami speaks on Osimhen breaking his 44-year goals record

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Former Nigeria international Segun Odegbami

Odegbami speaks on Osimhen breaking his 44-year goals record

Former Nigeria international Segun Odegbami has expressed delight after Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen surpassed his long-standing goal record for the national team.

Osimhen scored his 24th and 25th goals for Nigeria during Friday’s 2-0 victory over Rwanda in the 2026 World Cup qualifier in Kigali, moving him to second place on Nigeria’s all-time scorers list behind only the late Rashidi Yekini, who holds the record with 37 goals.

“Osimhen has finally overtaken me and I think that is good because the record has been hanging on for a very long time. I am very happy for him and I want to say good luck to him,” Odegbami said .

“He is still young and he has a long way to go.”

Odegbami, who retired from international football in 1981, had held the position of Nigeria’s second-highest goal scorer for 44 years before Osimhen’s breakthrough.

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The legendary winger, nicknamed ‘Mathematical’ for his precision crosses and intelligent play, scored 23 goals in 47 appearances for Nigeria between 1976 and 1981.

The Galatasaray striker, who is enjoying remarkable form this season with 20 goals and four assists in 20 Super Lig games, connected with Ademola Lookman’s free kick at the far post to score the opener against Rwanda on Friday.

Prior to this match, Osimhen had equalled Odegbami’s record last November during Nigeria’s 1-1 draw against Benin Republic in a 2025 AFCON qualifying game in Abidjan, heading home in the 81st minute for his 23rd goal in 38 appearances.

The 26-year-old forward now needs 12 more goals to equal Yekini’s record of 37 goals, which has stood since the striker’s last game for Nigeria in 1998.

Odegbami, who was a key member of Nigeria’s 1980 Africa Cup of Nations winning squad, scoring in the final against Algeria, also praised the team’s overall performance against Rwanda.

“I am really impressed with the Eagles performance in Kigali and that is their most convincing win in 10 years,” he added.

Osimhen, who made his Super Eagles debut in June 2017 in a 2-0 defeat against South Africa, has become the team’s talisman, including notable performances in AFCON qualifiers where he scored two hat-tricks in 2023.

 

Odegbami speaks on Osimhen breaking his 44-year goals record

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