In time past, a Super Eagles-eligible player has made it into squads of European countries for a football tournament, and the 2024 UEFA Euro is no exception to this fact.
The unveiling of a 27-man Germany squad for the 2024 Euro on home soil reminds Nigerians the players the country lost to other nations, echoing an unsettling feeling about what could have been if those players have opted to feature for Nigeria.
Julian Nagelsmann’s Euro squad announcement threw quite a number of surprises with several experienced players like Serge Gnabry, Leon Goretzka, Mats Hummels and Julian Brandt left out.
🚨🇩🇪 OFFICIAL: Germany preliminary squad for Euro 2024 has been confirmed by Julian Nagelsmann.
⛔️ Hummels, Goretzka, Brandt, Adeyemi, Süle plus Werner and Gnabry are OUT of the squad.
One more player [or more] will be left out of the squad before the start of the Euros. pic.twitter.com/YiPxEoIfls
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 16, 2024
But while these shocking omissions does not really bother Nigerians; it was surprising that a Super Eagles-eligible player, Karim Adeyemi was also left out, a player who has had a fairly good season for Borussia Dortmund despite his injury setbacks.
However, while Adeyemi did not make the cut, an exceptional young player with ties to Nigeria but switched allegiance to Germany, was included in their Euro squad.
Meet the Super Eagles-eligible player to represent Germany in the Euro 2024
Out of the many Super Eagles-eligible players in Germany, only one was selected to represent Die Mannschaft in the next Euro.
Jamal Musiala
Born to a British-Nigerian father and a German mother in Stuttgart, Germany, Jamal Musiala is one of the finest young talents presently in world football.
Musiala had the opportunity to play for three countries (Nigeria, Germany & England) but chose to represent Germany instead.
The youngster left Chelsea Academy in 2019 to join Bayern Munich, and has since become an important player for both club and country.
The Super Eagles-eligible player has made 37 appearances for Bayern Munich this season, and has contributed 19 goals and assists as the Bavarians got to the semi-finals of the Champions League and are set to finish second in the Bundesliga only behind league champions, Bayer Leverkusen.
Currently injured, the 21-year-old is expected to be fit just in time before Germany kicks off their Euro campaign against Scotland on 14 June 2024.
Super Eagles-eligible players snubbed by Germany for Euro 2024
Below is a list of players of Nigerian descent who could not make the Germany squad for Euro 2024.
Karim Adeyemi
Karim-David Adeyemi was born in Munich, Germany to parents of Nigerian and Romanian descent.
Adeyemi represented Germany under-16s, under-17s and under-21s before he made his debut for the Germany senior team in a 6-0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification win over Armenia on 5 September 2021.
His only major tournament for Germany was the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar which where he did not feature as Germany crashed out at the group stage.
So far, the 22-year-old has played four times for Germany and scored one. In the 2023/24 season, he has made 32 appearances for Dortmund, assisted three goals and scored five times but wasn't deemed good enough to make the Euros squad.
Felix Nmecha
Felix Kalu Nmecha is Nigerian-eligible footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund and the German national team.
Born on 10 October 2000 to parents of Nigerian and German origin, Nmecha chose to represent Germany and made his debut against Peru in an international friendly on 17 March 2023.
The 23-year-old Nigerian has made 28 appearances for Dortmund this season, with two goals and two assists to his name.
Lukas Nmecha
Lukas Okechukwu Nmecha is Super Eagles-eligible player who plays as a forward for VfL Wolfsburg and the German national team.
He was born in Hamburg to a Nigerian father and a German mother, but was raised in England, Nmecha was eligible to play for Nigeria, Germany, and England.
Having previously played for England and Germany underage teams, he finally made his debut for the latter on 11 November 2021 in a World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein.
This season, he has struggled with fitness and has only made one appearance, which he scored, for Wolfsburg.
Felix Uduokhai
Felix Ohis Uduokhai is a Super Eagles-eligible player who plays as a center-back for Bundesliga side Augsburg.
Uduokhai has represented Germany U-19, U-20, and U-21 national sides, and has also represented the senior team in the 2020 Summer Olympics.
With this in mind, playing for Nigeria is an option for the defender if he doesn't get any other opportunities with Germany.
He has played 16 times for Augsburg this season, and has scored one goal.
Justin Njinmah
Justin Gideon Njinmah is another Super Eagles-eligible player who plays as a forward for Werder Bremen.
Born in Hamburg to a German mother and a Nigerian father, Njinmah is yet to receive a senior call-up from Germany. This has made the 23-year-old player open for an international switch to Nigeria in the next few years.
Like the other four Super Eagles-eligible players on this list, Njinmah will be watching the Euro tournament at home with hopes that Germany triumphs as hosts of the competition.
This article was most recently revised and updated 3 weeks ago
