Two-time Greek Super League winner, Brown Ideye has expressed his readiness to return to international football with Nigeria’s Super Eagles, despite an eight-year hiatus.
Ideye, now plying his trade in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) with Enyimba, remains optimistic about a potential national team recall.
The 36-year-old, who has been grabbing headlines with the People’s Elephants, clarified that he has not retired from international football and remains open to a call-up.
“For sure, I will jump on it because I’m not retired from international football yet. So why not? If I get called up to represent my country, I’m going to honour the invite, for sure,” he said while speaking on Channels Television’s Sports Tonight on Tuesday.
Ideye last appeared in Nigeria colours in October 2016, during a 2-1 World Cup qualifying victory over Zambia in Ndola. The former West Bromwich Albion striker played 73 minutes in the match and assisted Kelechi Iheanacho’s decisive goal.
Ideye revitalized at Enyimba
After years in Europe, where he represented clubs like Sochaux, Malaga, and West Bromwich Albion, Ideye returned to domestic football, signing with nine-time NPFL champions Enyimba in December 2024.
He scored his first goal for the Aba-based club in an emphatic 4-1 CAF Confederation Cup win over Mozambique’s Black Bulls.
He then followed up with a match-winning performance in a rescheduled NPFL clash against Nasarawa United, netting the decisive goal in a 2-1 victory.
Ideye remains fondly remembered for his role in Nigeria’s 2013 Africa Cup of Nations triumph. He scored the second goal in the 4-1 semifinal victory over Mali, one of his seven goals in 28 international appearances.
