WELCOME TO KTNBIO

A top 10 ranking of Anglo-Nigerians who chose to represent the Three Lions instead of the Super Eagles.

Bukayo Saka remains the last player to score a hat-trick for England’s Three Lions, doing so in a 7-0 thrashing of North Macedonia at Old Trafford in June 2023.

The 21-year-old’s first career hat-trick came barely two weeks after he went on holiday in Nigeria, his country of descent.

But Saka is only one in a long list of English internationals of Nigerian descent. Here are the top 10 ranked based on their careers for club and country.

Top 10 Nigerians who played for England

10. Dominic Solanke

Dominic Ayodele Solanke-Mitchell was born on September 14, 1997, in Reading, Berkshire to a Nigerian Yoruba father and an English mother.

Solanke represented England at every level from under 16 to 21 between 2012 and 2019 but only has three senior national team cap to his name.

His Three Lions debut and sole England cap came in a friendly game against Brazil in 2017, coming off the bench to play 15 minutes in a goalless draw.

The 27-year-old went on to play two more matches, with little game time, in a loss to Greece and a 5-0 rout of Ireland, both in the UEFA Europa League.

“It’s England for me in the future, but it starts with my form at my club. I know a lot has been said about playing for Nigeria, but no one has contacted me about it. Maybe they will in the future,” he said in a recent interview.

Dominic Solanke plays for Tottenham in the Premier League and has had spells with Liverpool, Bournemouth, and Chelsea.

9. Eberechi Eze

Eberechi Oluchi Eze was born June 29, 1998, born in Greenwich, Greater London to Nigerian parents. He is one of the latest of the Anglo-Nigerians to pick the Three Lions over the Super Eagles.

Eze had played for the England under-20 and under-21s from 2018 to 2021 when his age of eligibility elapsed but only got his first invite to the senior national team in 2023.

The 24-year-old made his Three Lions debut on June 16, 2023, in a Euros qualifying game against Malta, which England won 4-0, and Eze played 20 minutes as a substitute.

The Crystal Palace ace was also part of the England squad that made it all the way to the final of the 2024 European Championships and still has a lot to give the Three Lions after being called up by new boss Thomas Tuchel.

8. Ugo Ehiogu

Ugochukwu Ehiogu was born into a Nigerian family in Hackney, London on November 3, 1972, and spent his entire career in the United Kingdom playing for clubs like West Brom, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough, and Leeds United amongst others.

The central defender played for England under-21s and then got his chance with the senior national team on May 23, 1996, coming off the bench in a 3-0 win against China.

He retired with just four senior caps for England and is now unfortunately late after dying of a heart attack on April 21, 2017, while performing his duties as Tottenham’s under-23 coach.

7. Carlton Cole

Carlton Michael George Cole was born in Croydon, London to a Sierra Leonean mother and a Nigerian father on October 12, 1983.

The 39-year-old is retired now and has been for six years but played seven games for the English senior national team after already playing for the under-19, 20 and 21 teams.

The former Chelsea and West Ham striker revealed after his retirement that he rejected the chance to represent Nigeria in favour of England.

“I was called up by Nigeria last season but Chelsea told me that it was in my best interests not to go, I could have been playing alongside Kanu. I look up to him as one of the best players in the world,” Cole said in regret.

“My father is Nigerian and my mother comes from Sierra Leone but I’ve never been a follower of Nigeria and my interest in African football is only occasional. I was born in England and consider that to be my country so I want to play for them,” the striker said in an interview.

6. Fikayo Tomori

Oluwafikayomi Oluwadamilola “Fikayo” Tomori was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, to Nigerian parents on December 19, 1997, but was raised in England where he lived for most of his life, making him eligible to represent the Three Lions.

The 27-year-old made his England senior national team debut on November 17, 2019, playing six minutes off the bench in a 4-0 win against Kosovo.

The AC Milan central defender has only managed five caps in his time with England so far, leading many to believe that he should have chosen Nigeria instead.

5. Tammy Abraham

Kevin Oghenetega Tamaraebi Bakumo-Abraham was born in Camberwell, Greater London to Nigerian parents on October 2, 1997.

Abraham chose England ahead of Nigeria in November 2017, debuting for the Three Lions in a friendly goalless draw.

The six-foot-three striker played the last of his 11 games for England in 2022, scoring three goals while functioning mainly as a backup for Harry Kane.

The emergence of other forwards like Solanke, Ollie Watkins, and Ivan Toney has pushed Abraham far down the pecking order, especially considering his struggle for form in AC Milan.

4. John Salako

John Akin Salako was born in Ibadan, Nigeria on February 11, 1969, making him the only Nigerian-born player to represent England.

As a teenager, he lived in Westerham, Kent where he moved to from Nigeria with his family and went on to have a decent career as a footballer in England.

John Salako is a Crystal Palace legend, making over 200 appearances for the Eagles, and also played for clubs like Charlton, Reading, Coventry, Fulham and Brentford.

The left winger made five England appearances, all in 1991 with his debut coming in a 1-0 win against Australia.

3. Gabby Agbonlahor

Gabriel Imuentinyan Agbonlahor was born on October 13, 1986, in Birmingham, West Midlands and represented England as a result.

Agbonlahor was famously courted by the Super Eagles but chose the Three Lions instead, making his debut on November 19, 2008, as a substitute in a 2-1 win against Germany.

His international career would end with just three caps to his name despite a long and relatively successful club career, which was spent entirely at Aston Villa.

His decision to represent England ahead of Nigeria left a lot of question marks about his international career, mainly what could have been with the Super Eagles.

2. John Fashanu

For years now, John Fashanu has been the living breathing example for Anglo-Nigerians to pick the Super Eagles over the Three Lions but it appears they never learn.

Fashanu has spoken publicly multiple times about regretting his decision to play for England for whom he debuted in May 1989 at the peak of his powers but only played twice and was never invited back again.

“The fact is that I really wanted to play for Nigeria and I came home on three occasions but the coach said I was not good enough to make his team, and so never selected me except for one friendly match against China where I was an unused substitute. So, it was never my fault at all and it pained me so much that I never played for my country,” Fashanu said in an interview with Goal.

He was born in Kensington, London on September 18, 1962, and had a great club career with Norwich, Lincoln, Millwall and Aston Villa but it was really at Wimbledon where he made his name.

1. Bukayo Saka

Bukayo Saka is number one on this list because he is the only player here whose decision to play for England over Nigeria has so far been justified.

Bukayo Ayoyinka Temidayo Saka was born in Ealing, Greater London, to Yoruba Nigerian parents, Adenike and Yomi Saka on September 1, 2001.

The 21-year-old opted to represent England the country of his birth rather than Nigeria the country of his parents and debuted for the Three Lions on October 8, 2020, in a 3-0 win against Wales.

Saka is currently one of England’s best players and was named the best men’s national team player of the year in 2023.

The 23-year-old’s decision has already been vindicated, as he has played 43 times for England, scoring 12 goals and helping the Three Lions to back-to-back European Championship finals. For further context, the nine other players on this list combine for 37 caps.

Related content