Eligible for Nigeria’s Super Eagles, but soaring elsewhere: Meet Germany’s World Cup star David Odogu

The youngster is eligible for Nigeria, but he is doing the business for Germany at the World Cup

The Germany Under-17 team sealed their place in the final of the ongoing FIFA Under-17 World Cup after defeating Argentina via penalties on Wednesday, Soccernet.ng.

Agustin Ruberto scored a hattrick for Argentina in normal time, but his goals were cancelled by Paris Brunner and Max Moerstedt. The game dragged into penalties, and Germany eventually emerged as champions.

The Germans have had a pretty solid tournament, and aside from the game against Argentina, they have kept a decent defensive record. Before the semifinal, Germany conceded only four goals in five games. A key reason for their good record is 17-year-old David Odogu. The Wolfsburg-trained defender has played all of Germany’s games at the World Cup and has proven to be a stalwart.

According to Sofascore, per game, Odogu has registered 1.7 interceptions, 3 tackles, 3.3 ball recoveries, 4.3 clearances, and 47 touches.

Key facts about David Odogu

Odogu was born on June 3, 2006 in Germany to a Nigerian father, but he currently plays for Germany. The youngster has risen through the ranks in German football as he played for the Under-16s before playing for the Under-17 team. The decision has already started paying off as he won the Under-17 EUROS with Germany earlier this year.

He started his football journey with Union Berlin before switching to Wolfsburg in 2020. Odogu is a traditional central defender and can play on the right or left of central defence.

Standing at 6’2, the 17-year-old has a good height for a central defender, and he is also very fast. Also, Odogu is confident and uses the ball well when he is in possession. His attributes have placed him as one of the top talents to watch out for in German football. He has already made 11 appearances already for the German Under 17s.

Can Odogu play for Nigeria?

In recent years, there has been an influx of abroad-trained footballers into the Super Eagles. Leon Balogun, Troost Ekong, Joe Aribo, Ademola Lookman, and Jordan Torunarigha are some Super Eagles stars who chose to represent the country despite being eligible to play for other European countries.

Odogu could still join that train, because, according to FIFA rules, he is still eligible to play for the Super Eagles because he is yet to play for the Germany senior team.

However, if Odogu reaches the top of his game, just like Jamal Musiala, it is unlikely that he will decide to play for Nigeria.