Dutch or Naija? Manchester United’s Zirkzee reveals his favourite dinner

Manchester United forward, Joshua Zirkzee, has delighted fans by revealing his go-to meal—and it’s a clear nod to his Nigerian roots, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 24-year-old was born in the Netherlands to a Dutch father and a Nigerian mother. Despite choosing to play for the Dutch national team, he has not ruled out his Nigerian origin.

In a recent quote cited by UtdTruthful's X (formerly Twitter) page, he elicited smiles from supporters who are excited about his Nigerian heritage.

“Favourite dinner? My mom’s food, rice and stew, Nigerian spicy,” the forward said as quoted by UtdTruthful.

Zirkzee on Playing for Nigeria

While born in the Netherlands and having represented the Dutch youth teams, Zirkzee has can no longer represent Nigeria at the senior level.

Meanwhile, in an earlier interview, the former Bologna striker acknowledged that if the Netherlands national team continues to overlook him, he might have considered switching allegiance to the Super Eagles.

“It’s not easy to say. If the Netherlands aren’t calling, then I’ll choose Nigeria. Are they even calling? Maybe,” he said.
“Nigeria is not a country that you just choose because you cannot play for your homeland. The competition there for attackers is perhaps just as great as in the Dutch team. Nigeria has Boniface from Leverkusen and Osimhen from Napoli. And they have many more attackers.”

However, on 12 June 2024, Zirkzee received a call-up to represent the Netherlands senior team's squad for the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament in Germany and has made six appearances for the team, halting ever donning the green, white, and green colour.

Despite this, Zirkzee, with a Nigerian mother, has not forgotten his Nigerian root.

Zirkzee Crowns Chido Obi an ‘Oga’

Zirkzee and fellow Manchester United starlet Chido Obi-Martin have recently captured the spotlight with their Nigerian background becoming a point of connection.

In a playful social media exchange after United’s 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad at the Reale Arena, Obi-Martin commented under a matchday photo posted by Zirkzee, calling him “My boy.” Zirkzee responded with “Oga,” a Nigerian slang term used to refer to someone as “boss” or “chief.”

Though the two players are eligible to represent different countries internationally, they’ve proudly embraced their Nigerian identity, both on and off the pitch.