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The two players' exceptional performances at their clubs have not been rewarded with a national team call-up.
"You are talking about Cyriel Dessers, where is he playing?"
"So am I going to take the train from here to Holland? The answer is no. So the time has to be right.
"When I say I haven't watched the player, I'm talking about watching them live."
These were Austin Eguavoen's words on Cyriel Dessers' non-invitation to the Super Eagles squad just before Nigeria's 2022 World Cup playoffs against Ghana.
Dessers no show in Nigeria's squad is surprising, considering his form for his club this season. The 27-year-old is one of the country's most prolific players in Europe this season, having scored 17 goals in 37 games for Feyenoord.
Ten of these strikes have come in 11 UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) games, while he has six in the Eredivisie.
But despite these impressive numbers, Dessers keeps getting overlooked in the Super Eagles squad.
But how long can Nigeria keep ignoring him? It is unbelievable that a player who has been consistent in European competitions this season still cannot find his way into the national team two years after making his debut.
When Dessers did make his debut and only appearance for Nigeria back in 2020, it was a justified decision.
The 27-year-old, who was born in Belgium, had expressed his wish to play for the three-time African champions. While critics may argue that he had no choice as he would not have gotten into Belgium's squad, the same could also be said for a few players in the Super Eagles team.
After expressing his wish to play for Nigeria, Dessers was called up by former Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr for the friendly games against Tunisia and Algeria. It was a deserved called-up then as he had finished as the joint-top scorer in the Eredivisie with 15 goals for Heracles.
However, after making his debut as a substitute against Tunisia, the former Utrecht man has not gotten another opportunity to represent the country again.
Rohr ignored him until he was sacked as Super Eagles coach, while Eguavoen never gave him a chance in his short spell.
In fairness, there was a period Dessers did not deserve an invitation. After finishing as the joint-top scorer in the Eredivisie, Dessers joined Genk ahead of the 2020/2021 campaign. But the move turned out to be a nightmare for him as he was outshined by his countryman Paul Onuachu.
And with Nigeria blessed with many attacking options, it was always going to be difficult for a bench warmer like Dessers to get an invitation.
But realising he needs more game time, Dessers left Genk last summer to join Feyenoord on a season-long loan deal. And that has helped him find his scoring touch again.
However, his excellent form for Feyenoord has counted for nothing in the national team. But it needs to change as it would be unfair to keep ignoring him.
While it's true that the Super Eagles have many attacking options, only a few have been better than Dessers this season.
It is even more disappointing that he never got called up for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations despite the absence of Victor Osimhen, Odion Ighalo and Emmanuel Dennis.
And in justifying his decision, Eguavoen, who was the coach at that time, claimed he could not invite Dessers because he had not seen him live.
Yet, after losing his job following Nigeria's World Cup failure, he congratulated Dessers for his heroics in the UECL. It is also important to note that Dessers is not the only player that has been unfairly by Nigeria's handlers.
For a few years now, Anthony Nwakaeme has been Nigeria's best player in the Turkish Super Lig. He has been the livewire in Trabzonspor's attack, but he was not called up for the 2021 AFCON or the playoff games against Ghana. This season, Nwakaeme has 11 goals and ten assists in 27 league games for Trabzonspor. The ex-Hapoel Beer Sheva man's season even got better last weekend after Trabzonspor were crowned the Turkish league champions.
Yet, it does not look like he will get an opportunity to play for the Super Eagles again after making a sole appearance in a 2018 World Cup qualifier against Algeria in 2017.
While some may argue that the attacking options and his age [32] count against him, the argument does not hold water because players like Ighalo and Leon Balogun are part of the team.
Although one could say building a young squad is vital for the team's future success, there should be an exception for older players still performing at the top level.
Nwakaeme is one of such players, and it is only fair he gets a deserved chance to show his worth.
This season, he and Dessers have shown that they deserve a place in the Super Eagles squad, even though they are unlikely to displace any of the regulars.
The Super Eagles play again this month in two international friendlies. That could be the perfect time to give these two players a chance they rightly deserved.
And with a new coach also set to come in, who knows, they may play a part in the new era.
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