Former Super Eagles and Everton striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni has urged Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle to give greater consideration to home-based players, insisting that the national team should not be made up entirely of footballers playing abroad.
Yakubu believes a deliberate programme that allows NPFL players to train and familiarise themselves with the Super Eagles setup could provide a pathway for talented domestic players to eventually establish themselves at international level.
The former Middlesbrough striker recalled his own experience as a young Nigerian player at Maccabi Haifa, explaining how former Super Eagles coach Jo Bonfrere gave him an opportunity to spend time around the national team and learn how the squad operated.
“I remember when I was playing for Maccabi Haifa, that was when I got the chance from Jo Bonfrere to come and watch the team,” Yakubu said.
“It helped me get familiar with the players and the system.”
Yakubu believes a similar arrangement could now be introduced for players competing in the Nigeria Premier Football League, allowing them to train with the senior national team even when they are not immediately selected for competitive matches.
He argued that such exposure would make the transition from domestic football to the Super Eagles considerably easier.
“If we can introduce something like that for the home-based players, it will help them,” he said.
The former Nigeria international stressed that representing the Super Eagles should not automatically be viewed as an opportunity reserved for players based in Europe or other foreign leagues.
“All the players making the national team should not be 100 per cent foreign-based,” Yakubu added.
His call comes at a time when Eric Chelle has already begun opening the door for more NPFL players.
The Super Eagles coach included home-based players in his squads during the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign and subsequently handed opportunities to several NPFL stars during the Unity Cup and other international fixtures. CAF reported in March 2025 that goalkeeper Kayode Bankole of Remo Stars and midfielder Papa Daniel Mustapha of Niger Tornadoes had been included in Chelle’s squad for World Cup qualifiers.
Chelle subsequently went further in 2026, with several NPFL players receiving invitations to the Super Eagles setup. Reports indicated that seven home-based players were initially included in the Unity Cup squad, while the coach also personally embarked on scouting activities within the domestic league.
The Franco-Malian coach has also made it clear that domestic players can earn their places if they demonstrate the required quality, attitude and tactical understanding.
Chelle’s approach means Yakubu’s proposal is not entirely at odds with the current direction of the Super Eagles.
Rather, the former striker wants the process to go a step further by creating a more deliberate bridge between the NPFL and the senior national team.
For Yakubu, this is not simply about selecting home-based players for the sake of representation.
It is about giving talented Nigerian footballers the opportunity to experience the national-team environment, learn the system and understand what is required to compete at the highest level.
The former Premier League striker knows from personal experience how valuable such exposure can be.
Yakubu began his professional career in Nigeria before moving to Israel, where his performances for Maccabi Haifa eventually opened the door to European football and a highly successful Premier League career. He went on to play for Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Everton and Blackburn Rovers, scoring 96 Premier League goals and becoming one of Nigeria’s most prolific strikers.
He believes the same pathway should remain available to the next generation of Nigerian players.
With the domestic league now receiving renewed commercial attention and efforts being made to strengthen the NPFL, Yakubu believes the national team should also become a platform for showcasing the best talent produced at home.
His message to Chelle is therefore straightforward: keep the door open, expose local players to the Super Eagles environment and allow genuine competition for places.
Because for Yakubu, Nigeria should be producing players for the world — but the journey to the Super Eagles should not have to begin outside Nigeria.
