It is now a norm to find players that possess dual Nationality and these players often find it difficult to make a choice on what National Team to represent.
This was the case with 23 year old Arnaut Groeneveld Danjuma who was born to Dutch father and a Nigerian mother in Lagos, Nigeria on 31st January 1997.
He started his youth career at TOP Oss in 2008 before moving to PSV youth side a year later. He later joined NEC Nijmen in 2016 and went on make 40 appearances scoring 12 goals.
He joined Club Brugge in the summer of 2018 and made 21 appearances in his only season in Belgium scoring 5 times.
Arnaut Danjuma who was eligible to represent Nigeria was heavily linked with a switch of allegiance to the Nigerian National Team but despite Gernot Rohr’s effort the young man refused to consider making the switch.
Danjuma had Emmanuel Dennis as a team mate way back at Club Brugge but the player didn’t still see any reason to play for the country. Surprisingly, Emmanuel Dennis have been invited to the National Team on a couple of occasions.
Arnaut Danjuma is a very tricky player full of pace, he can play as false 9 but it is on the wings that he excels more. Danjuma who refused to play for Nigeria will eventually get an invitation to the Netherlands by Coach Ronald Koeman.
Danjuma earned his first full international call up when Ronald Koeman named him in the Netherlands squad in October 2018.
Danjuma played his first international match against Germany on 13 October when he came on as a 68th-minute substitute. He scored his first international goal on 16 October 2018 against Belgium.
The Dutch man eventually joined Bournemouth in the summer of 2019. On 1 August 2019, Danjuma joined Premier League side AFC Bournemouth for a fee of £13.7 million, signing a long-term contract. He made his debut for Bournemouth as a substitute in an EFL Cup tie against Burton Albion on 25 September 2019.
Danjuma have made 14 appearances for Bournemouth without finding the back of the net. In a total of 74 appearances in his entire career he has managed to score on 17 occassions.
Now, it’s time for Players such Dominic Solanke and Philip Billing to consider the choices they will make as both players are eligible to play for Nigeria.
A lesson for players of dual Nationality, these European teams will give you a cap or two and then they never call you again. Players like John Fashanu understand this narrative well. Good luck to Arnaut Danjuma.
Do you think players of dual Nationality who dumped Nigeria for other countries are paying dearly for such act, considering the loss of form of Danjuma?
Let’s hear your opinion below