Super Eagles forward,Victor Moses has revealed that it took the intervention of ex-internationals ,Austin Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu,who convinced him to play for Nigeria,over England.
Moses who has been a revelation for Nigeria,since he made his debut in a Nations Cup qualifiers against Rwanda last year,played a pivotal role in helping Nigeria win the 2013 African Nations Cup.
The Chelsea player played for England in the youth levels and had an opportunity to play for the Three Lions,but he opted to represent his fatherland.
“I played all through the age levels for England and when Nigeria first asked, I wanted to concentrate on my club football,” the 22-year-old told Mirror.co.uk.
Wigan coach,Roberto Martinez blamed the coaches of the English national team,for missing out on Moses,as he even spoke to Fabio Capello about him.
“Stuart Pearce may have spoken to my agent about England, but he never spoke to me directly and Fabio Capello never spoke to me or showed any interest in me,” Moses revealed.
“Nigeria asked again and it just seemed like the right thing to do.”
“Jay-Jay Okocha and Kanu encouraged me as well before I started playing for Nigeria and it was great to speak to two legends of the country.”
“It was amazing to win the tournament (AFCON). We did it for the nation. It means so much to everyone in Nigeria and it was great for me as well,” he said.
“Growing up in Nigeria, football was obviously a lot different. We just played on the streets, often on bare feet, and you used anything you could for a football.
“There were no facilities or teams. So it was a lot different when I came to England.
“It took me a little while to get used to playing organised games, on proper pitches with all the gear.”
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