Former Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr has revealed the reason Bayern Munich star Michael Olise rejected Nigeria long before he became a France international.
Rohr told Brila FM that he first scouted Olise between 2019 and 2020 when the winger was still an emerging talent at Reading in the English Championship. He made the approach alongside his assistant, Tunde Adelakun, hoping to secure the teenager's allegiance early.
"We tried to invite him, but he did not want to join us at the time," Rohr said. "In 2019, I saw Michael Olise with my assistant Tunde Adelakun... he refused to play for Nigeria."
According to Rohr, the decision was not about Nigeria's project but Olise's personal conviction. "He believed at the time that he was destined to play for one of Europe's top footballing nations," the former coach explained.
Nigeria still kept the door open. Olise was named on the standby list for the Super Eagles' 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin Republic and Lesotho in March 2021, but he never honoured the call-up.
He chose France, representing the U18s in 2019, starring at the Paris 2024 Olympics where he won silver, and making his senior debut in September 2024. He joined Bayern Munich in July 2024 and has since become one of Europe's most decisive wingers.