“I wanted to play for Nigeria” – Göztepe forward eyes Super Eagles revenge after World Cup scuffle

Göztepe and Benin Republic forward Junior Ishola Olaitan has revealed his anger at the Super Eagles after his side failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Soccernet.ng reports.

Gernot Rohr's Benin came close to directly qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in their history, although their hopes banked on South Africa losing their final group game as well.

However, Benin had to do their job against the Super Eagles and hope for a win from South Africa, but they faltered, as Victor Osimhen inspired Nigeria to a 4-0 victory.

Nigeria got into the play-offs but fell short against DR Congo. Now at the Afcon, Olaitan is eyeing revenge against Eric Chelle's men.

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Ishola Olaitan: Growing up in Nigeria, and Super Eagles' revenge

Olaitan was born in Benin to a Nigerian father and Beninese mother, and raised in Nigeria. While he harboured dreams of playing for the green and whites growing up, his dreams were crushed at the U-17 stage, before he then switched to playing for Benin.

“My family is in Lagos. My father is from Kwara state. Anytime I go back there, I feel at home with the culture and the people,” the former Grenoble midfielder said in an interview with the BBC.

“Yes, I wanted to play for Nigeria at the U-17 level, but what I was told surprised me, and it really hurt me.

“In some sort of a proverb, the coach told me that some people are better players than I am off the pitch, but on the pitch, I'm a better player than they are, and I understood immediately,” Olaitain continued, hinting at the level of political selection happening even at the youth level.

Given the way he was treated by the Nigerian team, the World Cup miss felt even more personal for the half-Nigerian.

“We were disappointed, because I don't think Benin has ever participated in a World Cup. This was the first time we came so close, and it hurt us.

“If we meet [Nigeria] at the AFCON, it's revenge. The hurt hasn't been more than two months. We want to take revenge because they didn't allow us to go to the World Cup,” the Beninese attacker concluded.

Benin have been drawn into AFCON 2025 Group D alongside Senegal, DR Congo and Botswana. They lost their opening game against DR Congo. Fans eager to follow Benin's bid for revenge and the rest of the AFCON action can compare the best free bet offers available ahead of the group stage.