Josh Erowoli Maja has revealed that he jumped at the opportunity to play international football for his parents’ country of birth despite having the chance to star for the Three Lions.
Maja has been one of this season’s breakout star in the Ligue 1 having arrived from Sunderland as a little-known footballer.
The 21-year-old has blossomed at Bordeaux, which resulted in him receiving a callup to the Super Eagles squad by Gernot Rohr. Maja made his international debut on September 10, 2019, in a 2–2 friendly against Ukraine, replacing Victor Osimhen in added time.
“It was (Nigeria invite) quite unexpected, but the Nigeria squad is quite young, so for me, it was a good chance to show what I can do. Hopefully, in the future I get more opportunities,” he said in an interview with Sunderland Echo.
“I think it was always going to be Nigeria,” he continued.
“I mean, it’s the first team – and if it were England, then it would probably only be the youth teams. Nigeria was a no-brainer.”
Maja will hope to increase his number of caps when the Africa Cup of Nations resume in March 2020.