Super Eagles striker Emmanuel Emenike has revealed in a social media post confirming Sunday Oliseh’s claim that pressure from Nigerian journalists forced him to leave the national team.
Emenike made his Super Eagles debut in a friendly game against Sierra Leone in 2010, launching him into the spotlight. He scored his first goal for Nigeria in an international friendly match against Argentina in 2011.
However, it wasn’t until 2013 that the former Fenerbache player truly made an impact for Nigeria. Emenike was a standout player for the Super Eagles in AFCON 2913, helping Nigeria to their third continental trophy.
He helped Nigeria advance to the final with four goals and one assist in five games, winning the Golden Boot in the tournament.
Barely two years after his AFCON heroics, Emenike retired from the national team, with reports making the rounds that Sunday Oliseh, who was the head coach as at then, was the reason behind his exit. Oliseh, however debunked the news, saying it was the striker’s decision to retire.
The former Super Eagle’s midfielder clarified in a recent interview that Emenike retired from the national team as a result of criticisms from the media.
Emenike reveals reason behind Super Eagles’ retirement
Emenike has now come out to corroborate Oliseh’s claims, revealing in a social media post how the media pushed him to retirement.
“I was respectful, humble and gave everything for Naija (Nigeria) l but you can never satisfy everyone,” Emenike wrote.
“Journalists did so much damage. I was never loved and I know this because of the things they put out about me. The love for my country was my driving force,” he added.
