The international allegiance of Kevin Martins finds itself in the spotlight following his burst onto the scene with Italian Serie A outfit, Monza.

The 19-year-old, who is the son of former Super Eagles of Nigeria attacker Obafemi Martins, is eligible to represent the Italian national team, the Black Stars of Ghana, as well as Nigeria.

Kevin’s tri-nationality stems from his parents and his uncle, who, surprisingly, is Mario Balotelli.

The Monza star is eligible to represent Italy, which is his country of birth. The versatile attacker also qualifies to represent Ghana through his maternal uncle and former Manchester City striker Balotelli. His Nigerian eligibility stems from his father.

However, amid talks of what could become of the international future of the 19-year-old, his father, Obafemi Martins, has spoken about which country his son could represent.

Martins speaks on the international future of his son

In an interview earlier this week in Marrakesh with French-based Nigerian journalist, Babatunde Ojora, Obafemi Martins addressed the possibility of his son, Kevin, representing the Super Eagles.

Martins said: "Hopefully, yes. I mean, he's half-Nigerian, so we will see."

The Italian Football Federation has already made the first move to secure Kevin's services, capping him at the U-15 level.

“When I used to play (for Nigeria), we have a lot of strikers that scored goals…. We played as a team.”

“Hopefully my son represents Nigeria, he’s half Nigerian.”

Former Newcastle and Inter Milan forward, Akinwunmi Martins on Super Eagles current squad and his son’s choice of… pic.twitter.com/kOuVRE9spL

— Ojora Babatunde (@ojbsports) December 16, 2024

The young forward marked his debut for Italy’s youth national team with a goal off the bench in a 4-1 victory over Portugal in November 2019.

Despite Italy’s early interest, the chances of Kevin playing for Nigeria seem promising. He carries a significant legacy, being the son of a Super Eagles legend.

Obafemi Martins scored 18 goals in 42 appearances for Nigeria, earning a place among the country's football greats, according to data from SofaScore.

Kevin isn’t the only second-generation talent linked to the Super Eagles. Emmanuel Ekong, son of former Nigeria star Ikpe Ekong, is also making waves.

Currently excelling at Empoli, Emmanuel faces a similar dilemma, weighing the choice between representing Nigeria or Sweden on the international stage.