I want to play for the Super Eagles – Nigeria’s forgotten star cries out to Eric Chelle ahead of Unity Cup

Former Golden Eaglets winger Ibraheem Jabaar has declared his ambition to break into the senior Nigeria national team after an impressive campaign with Stellenbosch FC in South Africa, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 22-year-old, who played a key role in Stellenbosch’s back-to-back third-place finishes in the South African Premiership, is hoping his standout performances can catch the attention of Nigeria’s selectors.

The former Maccabi Petah Tikva star also helped his club to a runners-up finish in the MTN 8 tournament and a historic semi-final run in this season’s CAF Confederation Cup, where he featured nine times before Stellenbosch were knocked out by Tanzanian giants Simba SC.

At the age of 22 years, 4 months, and 4 days, Ibraheem Jabaar becomes the youngest player to reach 100 appearances for the club pic.twitter.com/Ly5vvcxJbo

— Stellenbosch FC (@StellenboschFC) February 28, 2025

Despite his growing reputation in South African football, Jabaar has yet to receive recognition from the Super Eagles‘ technical crew.

He was omitted from the list of players invited for the Unity Cup and a friendly against Russia next month, even as fringe players were given opportunities.

I want to play for the Super Eagles – Nigeria’s forgotten star cries out to Eric Chelle ahead of Unity Cup

Jabaar, however, remains optimistic and motivated, particularly by fellow PSL-based Nigerians like Stanley Nwabali and Olisa Ndah, who have earned national team caps in recent times.

“Obviously, it’s everyone’s dream to play for their country. So, I dream about it every time,” Jabaar told FARPost.

“I think it would depend on the coach. But if I get a call-up, obviously I would go there and do my job.”

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Injuries have affected Ndah’s momentum with the Super Eagles, but Nwabali has risen to become a dependable figure between the sticks, especially at the recent Africa Cup of Nations.

Jabaar believes he’s ready to follow that same path.

“Obviously, [I’m inspired by Ndah and Nwabali],” he added.

Having gained continental experience, Jabaar is now targeting a move to Europe to continue his upward trajectory.

“Like I’ve always said, from the start, that I want to play in Europe. I know it’s coming, I’m going to get there,” he said.

The former Ijebu United and Olisa FC player joined Stellenbosch in 2021 and has steadily established himself as one of their most reliable players.

This season, he made 41 appearances across all competitions, scoring once. A few days ago, Jabaar was named winner of the Stellenbosch FC Young Player of the Season award for the second year running.

Jabaar was part of the Nigeria U-17 team at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup and the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations, and he now hopes the Super Eagles come calling.