The Heracles striker expressed his disappointment that his international debut was postponed, but he can’t wait to meet Victor Osimhen and also hopes to get a good reception from the team
Cyriel Dessers has revealed he was sad after his highly anticipated debut for the Nigerian national team could not hold as planned due to the coronavirus.
The 26-year-old was born in Belgium but decided to represent Nigeria- his mother’s country at the international level.
Dessers plays for Heracles in the Dutch top division and was the joint top marksman in this season’s Eredivisie which ended early due to the pandemic.
The former Utrecht striker scored 15 goals alongside Ajax’s Steven Berghuis to finish as the top scorer in the Dutch top-flight.
His form in the Eredivisie earned him a maiden call for Nigeria’s doubleheader Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sierra Leone.
The two games were slated for March, but it had to be postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak that has affected activities worldwide.
Speaking in an interview with BBC, Dessers revealed he was hurt when he heard the news as he was looking forward to it.
“It hurt me because I thought it was going to be one of the best moments of my life – or at least my career – and that it didn’t go through was really painful,” Dessers told BBC Sport Africa.
Although he is yet to meet the team, Dessers hopes he’ll get a good reception from the players, and also adapt quickly.
“I know it’s a young team, a lot of players playing in Europe, so I think that the adaptation would be fine and I hope when I come into the team, they accept me.
The Leuven born forward is not the only Nigerian striker that’s making waves in Europe this season. There’s also Victor Osimhen who scored 18 goals in 38 games for Lille.
There’ve been rumours that Dessers arrival will create a rivalry between him and the Lille striker. However, the ex-NAC Breda man played down the competition, saying he’s looking to learn and support the former Golden Eaglets star.
“I am looking forward to seeing Victor Osimhen, I like to watch a lot of football and watch the strikers and I think he is a great striker, and I hope I can help him and support him.”
