George Ilenikhena: How Eric Chelle convinced Al-Ittihad striker to choose Nigeria

George Ilenikhena’s decision to represent Nigeria was not simply a choice between the country of his birth and the nation where he grew up, as Eric Chelle played an important role in bringing the Al-Ittihad striker into the Super Eagles fold, Afrik-Foot reports.

Born in Lagos on August 16, 2006, Ilenikhena moved to France with his family when he was three and developed his football career there, progressing through Antony Football Evolution before joining Amiens.

His development eventually took him to Royal Antwerp and Monaco, where he scored memorable UEFA Champions League goals against Barcelona before completing a €33 million move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad in February 2026.

That French connection also meant Ilenikhena was eligible to represent France and had been involved with the country’s Under-16 setup. Nigeria, therefore, had a player whose football education and early international exposure were heavily shaped by France.

Yet by July, reports emerged that the 20-year-old had decided to represent the Super Eagles following discussions with Chelle.

The circumstances behind that decision now provide an insight into how the Nigeria coach managed to persuade one of the country’s most promising young strikers to commit to the national team.

Eric Chelle made the approach personal

Chelle’s ability to communicate with Ilenikhena in French appears to have been an important part of the relationship.

At the media parlay in the Super Eagles camp in Uyo, ahead of the clash against Madagascar, Ilenikhena’s French influence was noticeable when he spoke English, with his strong French accent reflecting the environment in which he grew up.

More importantly, his conversations with Chelle took place in French. That detail matters because Chelle was not approaching a player whose identity had been shaped in Nigeria.

Ilenikhena left the country as a three-year-old, grew up in the Paris suburbs and developed through the French football system. His pathway from Antony to Amiens eventually opened the door to professional football in Belgium and France, while he also had exposure to the French youth team.

Chelle, himself a French-born coach who spent much of his playing and coaching career in the French-speaking football environment, had a natural linguistic and cultural connection with the striker.

That does not mean language alone decided Ilenikhena’s international future, but it gave Chelle a way of communicating directly with a young player whose upbringing was predominantly French.

To make the striker feel at home in the Nigerian camp, Tolu Arokodare also spoke French to the 20-year-old.

Chelle had been tracking Ilenikhena for months

Several reports revealed that Chelle had been chasing the striker for almost a year and had identified him as one of his major targets while looking for additional attacking options behind Victor Osimhen.

However, the subsequent clarification from Ilenikhena’s representative added an important layer to the story.

His camp insisted on September 21 that the striker had never previously rejected a Nigeria invitation, because he had not actually received one before the current call-up.

According to his representative, contacts between Nigeria and Ilenikhena began early in 2026, but the player was injured and missed the first six months of his Al-Ittihad spell.

When Chelle contacted him before the start of the new season, the response was immediate.

The representative said it was the “first and only time” an invitation had come from Nigeria and that Ilenikhena gave his approval straight away.

The Instagram clue came before the call-up

There was also a public indication that Chelle was paying close attention to Ilenikhena before his eventual invitation.

On September 9, Ilenikhena posted a photograph of himself in a Super Eagles shirt beside a Nigerian eagle statue, accompanied by the caption “Naija”.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by George Ilenikhena (@g.ilenikhena9)

The post came after his explosive start to the season with Al-Ittihad and was liked by Chelle, providing an early public signal of the relationship between the player and the coach. The timing was significant.

By September 18, Chelle made the decision official by naming Ilenikhena in Nigeria’s 24-man squad for the AFCON 2027 qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.

George Ilenikhena gives Chelle another attacking option

The timing of the decision could hardly be more significant for Nigeria. Osimhen was initially included in Chelle’s squad despite an injury, but he has been ruled out of the September qualifiers.

That leaves Chelle with Akor Adams, Tolu Arokodare and Ilenikhena among his central attacking options, while Taiwo Awoniyi was later called up as Osimhen’s replacement.

Nigeria have secured a forward who was developed in France, exposed to French youth football and had a genuine alternative international pathway.

Chelle’s role in that decision should not be overstated: Ilenikhena ultimately made the choice himself.

Yet the sequence of events — the coach’s sustained interest, conversations with the player, the French-language connection, the public social-media signal and eventually the first senior call-up — suggests Chelle did more than simply wait for the striker to become available.

He actively built the relationship that helped bring Ilenikhena to the Super Eagles.