England-born Bradford city midfielder, Hope Akpan says playing for Nigeria ahead of England, is one of the best decisions of his career.
Born in Liverpool to Nigerian parents, Akpan was invited to the Super Eagles by late Stephen Keshi in 2014 and he made his debut in Africa cup of Nations qualifier game against Sudan.
While speaking In an Instagram live chat with Team Nigeria UK, Hope Akpan said, he’s still relishing the moment and he will continue to do so for a very long time.
“For me, it was one of the proudest moments of my career, it’s not often that you get to play for your country, the country of your parents, the country of your heritage. It was massive for me and I really, really enjoyed playing for the national team, although it wasn’t as many games as I wanted to play. Just the experience alone, I’ll be able to hold that as the amazing part of my career and I am really thankful that I got the opportunity to go to Nigeria, and play in some beautiful games.”
The 28-year-old added playing his first game for Nigeria at his father’s place of birth also made him proud.
“My best moment in football is obviously my debut for Nigeria, it was a home game, it was in the state where my father is from, in Uyo. It was massive being called Akpan and playing in Uyo. I got a lot of love from family members and people around the local government. It was really, really an inspiring moment.” He concluded.
However, the former Hull City player only made four appearances for Nigeria and has not been invited by new boss, Gernot Rohr.
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