Owen Oseni says he still finds it difficult to believe he will represent the Nigeria national football team after receiving his first international invitation following an impressive campaign with Plymouth Argyle.
The 23-year-old striker earned a place in Nigeria’s squad for upcoming friendly matches against Poland and Portugal. He will also take part in the Unity Cup competition in London later this month. Oseni heads into the international break after finishing the League One season strongly with Plymouth.
The forward scored three goals in Plymouth’s final four league matches and ended the campaign with 10 goals in 33 appearances during his first season in the English Football League. His late form played a major role in Plymouth’s push for a play-off place.
Speaking via BBC Sport, Oseni admitted the call-up came as a huge surprise after his recent performances.
“I know I had an alright season, but to get called up for a country where there’s more than 240 million people and probably 50% want to play for their country was quite a big deal for me so I was really buzzing,” he said.
“The coaches were watching me, obviously they picked up on the form I’d hit just towards the end of the season.”
The striker also revealed he never expected the opportunity to arrive this quickly.
“I didn’t think there was a possibility that that could happen. All I know is to just work hard and many doors could open, but I definitely didn’t think that I would be one of them.”
Oseni remains eligible to play for Nigeria through his father, while his mother’s background also qualifies him for Ivory Coast. He could also have represented the Republic of Ireland.
Despite those options, the Plymouth forward explained why accepting Nigeria’s invitation became an easy decision.
“I’d love to represent any country on a national level.”
“It’s massive for me and my career and Nigeria, the Super Eagles, when they came knocking, it was a decision that I couldn’t turn down.”
Oseni believes the experience with Nigeria can help him ahead of next season in League One. The striker is now targeting a more consistent starting role after adapting well during his first year at Plymouth.
“It’ll definitely boost my confidence coming back into pre-season,” he said.
“I’m looking to come back and nail down the starting position now for Argyle next year and I think this will help me a lot, this call-up.”
The striker also defended the standard of League One football after his breakthrough campaign.
“I feel like in League One being the third tier in England, it could get looked upon as not the highest standard because it’s third tier,” he added.
“But there’s a lot of great players in League One, there’s a lot of good internationals in League One who go and do well for the country.”
“So it definitely gives League One that recognition I think it deserves because I think in terms of the individual quality, and the players this season, the league was very good.”
Oseni could now train alongside established Nigeria stars like Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman during the upcoming fixtures. He may also face elite opponents including Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Robert Lewandowski if selected during the international matches.
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
