Ikechi Anya says he has no regrets about choosing to represent Scotland over Nigeria
The 26-year-old Watford player will face the Nigeria’s Super Eagles at Fulham’s Craven Cottage ground tonight.
“When I was really young I was in Nigeria but I can’t remember it,” Anya said of his paternal root.
“I appreciate the Nigerian side from my father and the Romanian side of my mother but that is them and I chose Scotland.”
The Nigerian-born winger has been capped five times by Scotland since making his international debut in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying match defeat to Belgium, but opened his goal-scoring account four days later.
Brought up in Castlemilk, Glasgow, to a Nigerian research scientist father and Romanian mother, Anya says it was an easy decision for him to stick to his country of birth
“My love of football developed when I was in Scotland so I was always going for that- for me it was always going to be Scotland,” he added.
“That was where I started football at school and where I learned everything. That was one of the main reasons I chose Scotland when I knew they were interested.”
Anya admitted his dad took plenty of convincing over his football career.
He said: “My dad is a typical Nigerian man, he’s all about education so football-wise it was really just my mum…
“My dad has taken more of an interest now because obviously his son is a footballer so he tries to support me.
“But he’s a big academic, my brother is a doctor and he tried to put me down that route but I tried football and luckily it worked out.”
