Brighton goalkeeper Comfort Erhabor has spoken of her readiness to represent Nigeria's Super Falcons at international level.
Born in the Netherlands to Nigerian parents, the 19-year-old signed her first professional contract with the English club in January. Due to limited playing time, she joined the Scottish Women’s Premier League side Hibernian on loan.
Erhabor, who is eligible to represent both Nigeria and the Netherlands, was invited to join Nigeria's U-17 women's team for a pre-tournament training camp ahead of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in 2022.
‘Dealing with Nigeria not straightforward'
In a recent interview, Erhabor stated her desire to represent Nigeria at any level, but acknowledged her chances, in light of fierce competition, were slim.
“Yes, of course, I would love to represent Nigeria, even if it's at U20 level just to gain that experience,” Erhabor told All Nigeria Soccer. “I mean, I'm only 19, so there's no rush for me to make that jump to the first team right now.
“I would much rather stay at U-20 whilst I can and make my mark potentially in the U20 World Cup this year, for example.”
Erhabor also revealed there have been concrete discussions with the Super Falcons head coach. “I've had discussions with Randy Waldrum, but as you may know, dealing with Nigeria isn't always as easy or straightforward as it should be.”
Erhabor ready to ‘push' Super Falcons' Nnadozie
Acknowledging the competition in the Super Falcons' goalkeeping department, the Dutch-Nigerian was careful to refrain from direct comparisons to first-choice Chiamaka Nnadozie.
“I like to think there's traits that she's got I could learn from her and some that I may have that she could learn from me. In that way, we can push each other to be better.
“I'm a young goalkeeper who… still has a lot to learn, but I'm very coachable and hardworking, and when presented with a challenge, I rise up to the standard.
“It would be my greatest honour, honestly; I would love to! But obviously, with an 18-player squad and me not being a part of the qualifiers, it's not very likely.”
