Odion Ighalo has returned to the Nigerian national team
after talks with head coach Gernot Rohr.
The 32-year-old had announced his retirement in July 2019,
after finishing as top scorer at the Africa Cup of Nations that year.
Ighalo had initially threatened to retire after Nigerians
blamed him for the Super Eagles’ exit from the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The former Watford and Manchester United star missed some
chances in the final group match against Argentina, which later cost the team
as they lost 2-1.
Following the game, he received threats and insults on his
Instagram page, which forced him to lock his comments section.
However, he was talked out of quitting by Rohr and President
of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick.
Rohr had been in talks with Ighalo over a potential
comeback, but the player insisted on focusing on club football.
Soccernet reports that the opportunity to play in another
AFCON and potentially another World Cup finally convinced Ighalo to come out of
international retirement.
During a recent trip to Germany, Rohr told Pinnick that he
had given Ighalo the ultimatum to make himself available for the 2022 World Cup
qualifiers against Liberia and Cape Verde if he wants to play in another major
tournament.
Ighalo made his Nigeria debut at 26 and has only represented
the country at two tournaments.
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