Rohr said he and his then-assistant, Tunde Adelakun, tried to convince the former Crystal Palace winger to play for Nigeria seven years ago.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Former Nigeria head coach Gernot Rohr has revealed that Bayern Munich star Michael Olise’s determination to don the French jersey led him to turn down the opportunity to play for the Super Eagles.
The German tactician made this known recently while featuring on a programme on the sports radio station, Brila FM.
Olise was born in England to a Nigerian father and a Franco-Algerian mother.
He was eligible to play for Nigeria, Algeria, France, or England, but ultimately pledged his international future to Les Bleus.
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While revisiting the saga during the interview, Rohr said he and his then-assistant, Tunde Adelakun, had tried to convince the former Crystal Palace winger to play for Nigeria seven years ago.
He added that the 24-year-old had made up his mind to play for France years before he was even approached to represent his father’s country.
“In 2019, I saw Michael Olise with my assistant Tunde Adelakun,” Rohr said. “We tried to invite him, but he did not want to join us at the time.
“He was already playing well. At the time we saw him, which was six to seven years ago, he was already so strong; unfortunately, he refused to play for Nigeria.”
