Osaze Odemwingie’s passion for donning the Super Eagles Jersey was greatly felt by the Nigerian football faithfuls who got puzzled on why the Nigerian never played a few more years
Former West Bromwich Albion star Osaze Odemwingie recently disclosed the reason behind his departure from playing for the Super Eagles, citing an injury that affected his ability to continue representing Nigeria, Soccernet.ng reports.
Following his decision to play for Nigeria, Odemwingie made significant contributions to the team, creating memorable moments up until his participation in the 2014 World Cup.
In a live video monitored by Soccernet.ng, Odemwingie explained his exit from Nigerian football at the age of 33, post-2014 World Cup, mentioning that despite his potential to play for a few more years, a knee injury hampered his continuation.
He highlighted how the injury occurred due to playing three consecutive games without proper preseason, resulting in fatigue that led to muscle strain and the subsequent knee issue.
“Why did I stop playing for Nigeria early? It was not early. I was probably…in the World Cup 2014, I was 33. Yeah, I could still play a few years but I got injured right after the World Cup. I had no preseason on that week, I played three games in a role. My legs were tired. So my muscles didn’t hold the knee in a position that usually it will hold. It would hold the knee but the knee just went. Yeah, the quads were tired” he said.
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Although reports previously suggested a dispute between Odemwingie and Nigeria’s coach Stephen Keshi during the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Odemwingie still found himself included in Nigeria’s 30-man provisional squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in May 2014, ultimately securing a place in the final 23-man squad for the tournament in June.
