Despite Nigeria’s long-standing reputation as one of Africa’s leading exporters of football talent, Lawal Abiodun, General Manager of Utility Sports FC, Surulere, Lagos, believes the country must improve its grassroots development and football infrastructure before more Nigerian players can consistently earn moves to Europe’s biggest clubs.
Speaking exclusively with Sports247, Abiodun shared his thoughts on the growing debate surrounding the limited number of Nigerian footballers featuring for elite European sides such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Bayern Munich.
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According to him, Nigeria remains among the continent’s biggest producers of football talent, but only a select few currently possess the quality required to compete at the highest level.
“Nigeria is one of the most sought-after sources of players in Africa and has been among the top three exporters of footballers to Europe over the last 10 years,” he said.
“Some of the factors preventing Nigerian players from signing for clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and others are that many of our players are not yet good enough for that level. Also, most players prefer clubs where they can become key players and enjoy regular game time.”
Abiodun identified Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as two Nigerian stars with the quality to succeed at Europe’s elite clubs but noted that securing consistent playing time at such teams remains a major challenge.
“We have a few players who can play for those big clubs, like Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen. Those clubs need players of their quality, but regular playing time would be difficult to come by.”
He added that playing for competitive mid-table clubs or in emerging European leagues can often provide better career development.
“It is important to stay with mid-table teams or in leagues like Turkey, as we’ve seen with Osimhen at Galatasaray.”
Abiodun concluded by calling on governments at all levels to invest heavily in grassroots football by rehabilitating abandoned pitches and constructing modern training facilities across the country.
“With quality playing facilities and proper grassroots development, Nigeria can produce players capable of representing Barcelona, Real Madrid and other elite clubs within the next four to five years. We have talented youngsters everywhere despite the poor facilities. Imagine what we could achieve with world-class infrastructure.”
He believes such investments would not only improve player development but also inspire thousands of young Nigerians pursuing football as a professional career.
