Why Dortmund's Adeyemi could opt for Nigeria after being left out of Germany's Euro 2024 squad

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann has announced his preliminary 27-man squad for the 2024 European Championship.

Notable among the absentees was Borussia Dortmund's left winger Karim Adeyemi who has been one of the standout performers for the Signal Iduna outfit this season.

The 22-year-old has notched 2 goals in 11 UEFA Champions League appearances, contributing to Dortmund's journey to the grand finale.

Adeyemi's last appearance for Die Mannschaft was back in 2022 against Hungary.

From a Nigerian perspective, Adeyemi's omission from the German team for the Euros comes as good news.

Karim Adeyemi was born in Germany to a Nigerian father and a Romanian mother.

Despite representing Germany at various youth levels and making senior appearances, Adeyemi is still eligible to switch allegiance to Nigeria.

According to FIFA's eligibility criteria, players can switch national teams if they have participated in three or fewer competitive matches at the senior level prior to turning 21 years old.

Adeyemi has featured in four matches for Germany, comprising three World Cup qualifiers and one UEFA Nations League match.

However, these appearances do not fully meet the competitive match criteria, potentially opening the door for him to join the Super Eagles.

Addressing his decision to represent Germany during a visit to his football foundation at the Olubadan Stadium in Ibadan, Adeyemi stated that Germany had approached him first.

It now rests on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to initiate talks with the Dortmund star to explore the possibility of him reconsidering his initial decision and opting to play for Nigeria.

WDN