Former England star, Eniola Aluko has explained her decision to play for the Three Lionesses instead of the Super Falcons of Nigeria.
The forward was born in Lagos to Nigerian parents but unlike her brother, Sone Aluko, she chose to play for England.
Aluko recorded as much as more than 100 caps for the England national team before hanging her boots in 2016.
The former Chelsea star played for Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games, where she started all the four matches.
In Aluko’s eight years at Stamford Bridge, she became the club’s all-time top scorer with 68 goals in 158 appearances before her record was broken by Fran Kirby in December 2020.
Aluko represented England for eleven years and insisted that the Nigeria was not visible or accessible option.
“I get asked this a lot. The difference between me and Sone is that he had a choice. I didn’t really have a choice,” Eniola Aluko said on The Obi One podcast.
I first got into the England youth teams when I was 14 and this is when women’s football was just not what it is now, like there was no level of investment.
“The Nigerian national team wasn’t a thing, I didn’t even know it was an option to be honest. When you play in England, being in the national team is an immediate option.
“I get a lot of stick as well from Nigerians. I can’t reverse the decision but I am very proud of playing for England.
“I’m very proud of what I achieved, I got 104 caps over 11 years which I never thought I was able to be going to achieve, but I supported my brother playing for Nigeria.
“I went to a few games of his, I remember going to Egypt to watch him play and obviously I support Nigeria.”
