Super Eagles: 2 reasons Michael Kayode was right to ditch Nigeria for Italy

Brentford right-back Michael Kayode was handed his first senior call-up to the Italy national team by head coach Roberto Mancini on Saturday, closing the door on representing the Super Eagles, Afrik-Foot reports.

The Borgomanero-born defender revealed in his first post-call-up press conference at Coverciano that the NFF had made a formal approach for his services, but that his allegiance to Italy had never been in question.

He mentioned it was a very easy decision, capturing the emotional clarity of a player whose dream has been to play for the Azzurri from the age of 15.

“It was a very easy decision. I went through all the youth teams here. Nigeria approached me, but I never thought about changing national teams,” Kayode told Football Italia.

Super Eagles: Why Michael Kayode was right to pick Italy

1. He has always been firm on his Italy stance

The most important reason Kayode’s decision was correct is that his commitment to Italy has been publicly and privately consistent across the entirety of his professional career.

The pattern of his loyalty statements across the past 18 months reveals a player whose Azzurri commitment was never up for negotiation.

Kayode came through the ranks of Italy’s youth team, from the U-18s to the U-21s, even scoring the winning goal in the 2023 UEFA European U-19 Championship final against Portugal in Malta.

In May 2025, following his attendance at former Italy head coach Gennaro Gattuso’s dinner with Premier League-based Italian players, Kayode told Tuttosport: “I will always give priority to Italy. I do not doubt which path to choose.”

16 months later, his final commitment to the Azzurri has now made that stated position formally binding.

“It’s a great emotion to wear the Azzurri shirt. I found out about the call-up immediately after the win against Chelsea, in which I also scored. It was a perfect day, which repays me for all my hard work. Anyway, I never had any doubts about my choice.”

2. The Super Eagles are already stacked at right-back

The second reason Kayode’s decision was correct is that Nigeria’s right-back pool is one of the deepest in African football, meaning his absence does not create any vacuum.

Eric Chelle’s September 2026 AFCON qualifier squad formally highlighted the extent of Nigeria’s defensive depth.

The Super Eagles head coach called on Nottingham Forest’s Ola Aina, Birmingham City’s Bright Osayi-Samuel, Blackburn Rovers’ Ryan Alebiosu, Banik Ostrava’s Abdullahi Bewene and Brentford’s Benjamin Fredrick, and each of those five players have a case for the starting shirt.

Ola Aina is the specific tactical anchor Chelle has publicly built his defensive project around. The 29-year-old’s recent Villa Park masterclass at right-sided centre-back opened another dimension to his versatility, and his 48 Super Eagles caps make him the most experienced right-back option in Chelle’s setup.

Bright Osayi-Samuel produced the standout Championship right-back performance of the 2026/27 season’s opening weekend, recording 16 possession recoveries against Sheffield United, the highest individual number across the entire English second tier that matchday.

Ryan Alebiosu offers an attacking-right-back profile Chelle’s 4-3-1-2 diamond shape can be built around, and his Blackburn Rovers head coach Tony Mowbray has refused to convert him into a winger precisely because his specific defensive quality is a long-term Championship-and-above asset.

Abdullahi Bewene, just like Alebiosu, is a beast bombing forward. The 21-year-old Banik Ostrava defender’s versatility across right-back, right midfielder and central attacking midfielder gives Chelle a rotation option no other Nigerian right-back can match.

Benjamin Fredrick rounds out the pool as a versatile Brentford defender who can play as a full-back or centre-back.

The depth Nigeria has at right-back arguably exceeds every other African national team’s inventory at the same position, and Kayode’s arrival at the Super Eagles setup would have taken minutes and development opportunities away from a rotation pool that is already producing the body of work Nigeria’s AFCON 2027 project needs.