{"id":892639,"date":"2026-03-19T02:17:30","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T07:17:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/19\/why-the-race-for-atalantas-honest-ahanor-isnt-over-for-the-super-eagles\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T02:17:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T07:17:30","slug":"why-the-race-for-atalantas-honest-ahanor-isnt-over-for-the-super-eagles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/19\/why-the-race-for-atalantas-honest-ahanor-isnt-over-for-the-super-eagles\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the race for Atalanta\u2019s Honest Ahanor isn\u2019t over for the Super Eagles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soccer <\/p>\n

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\"Soccer<\/p>\n

Honest Ahanor for Atalanta. Copyright: Imago<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The race to secure Honest Ahanor<\/a> for the Super Eagles<\/a> has hit a significant hurdle following confirmation that the defender has officially obtained Italian citizenship, Soccernet.ng reports<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u200bThe international future of the 18-year-old has been a major talking point in recent weeks. Born in Italy to Nigerian parents, Ahanor is a product of the Italian football system.<\/p>\n

His rapid development saw him rise through the ranks at Genoa before completing a big move to Atalanta last summer in a deal worth \u20ac16 million.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Honest Ahanor of Atalanta BC. Copyright: ImagoxGonzalesxPhoto\/FCIx<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This was a staggering fee for a player who was only 17 at the time. This investment underscores just how highly he is rated in Italy.<\/p>\n

\u200bDespite his talent, Ahanor has been notably absent from Italy\u2019s national youth teams. This is due to Italian law, which dictates that children of foreign parents do not automatically gain citizenship at birth. Instead, they must wait until they turn 18 to apply.<\/p>\n

\u200bAhanor reached that age on February 23, and his application was officially granted this Tuesday.<\/a><\/p>\n

While the Nigerian football community may fear he is the latest talent to choose a European power over the Super Eagles, the door remains technically open.<\/p>\n

\u200bThe Path to Nigeria’s Super Eagles Remains Open For Honest Ahanor<\/h2>\n

\u200bAlthough the fact that Honest Ahanor applied applied now has an Italian passport is a blow to Nigeria\u2019s immediate hopes, a slight possibility remains that Ahanor could still don the green and white.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Honest Ahanor of Atalanta BC and Romelu Lukaku of SSC Napoli seen in action. Copyright: ImagoxEmanuelexPennacchiox<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u200bItaly recognizes dual citizenship, meaning the youngster is not required to renounce his Nigerian nationality.<\/p>\n

Also, despite his new legal status, an immediate call-up to the senior Azzurri squad is unlikely. Italy head coach Gennaro Gattuso currently enjoys an barrage of riches in defence, with established names like Alessandro Bastoni, Riccardo Calafiori, Alessandro Buongiorno, and Diego Coppola ahead of the teenager in the pecking order.<\/p>\n

\u200bFor now, Ahanor is expected to integrated into Italy\u2019s youth setups (U19 or U21). Recall that under FIFA eligibility rules, appearing for a nation at the youth level does not cap-tie a player.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Honest Ahanor for Atalanta BC. Copyright: Imago<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u200bAhanor only becomes ineligible for Nigeria if he makes a competitive senior appearance for Italy.<\/p>\n

If he sees that his path to the senior Azzurri squad is blocked by Italy’s top-class defensive depth, he may then consider the Super Eagles. However, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) would have to stay persistent in their approach.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"<!--Kelvin Omachonu” src=”https:\/\/media.soccernet.ng\/main\/2024\/06\/IMG-20240522-WA0001-150×150.jpg” height=”80″ width=”80″>\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tKelvin Omachonu\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n

\n\t\t\t\tKelvin Omachonu is a professional football columnist and sports writer with over half a decade of experience covering major events and delivering captivating, analytically-driven stories.
\nA graduate of the University of Ibadan, he is fueled by a profound dedication to sports journalism and the beautiful game. His insights have previously been featured in respected outlets, including IndyPress UI, UCJ UI Newshive NG, Sportpremi, and a few others.
\nAway from work, Kelvin is an avid fan of basketball, enjoys a great movie, and is always discovering new music.\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>Kelvin Omachonu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Soccer Honest Ahanor for Atalanta. Copyright: Imago The race to secure Honest Ahanor for the Super Eagles has hit a significant hurdle following confirmation that the defender has officially obtained Italian citizenship, Soccernet.ng reports. \u200bThe international future of the 18-year-old has been a major talking point in recent weeks. Born in Italy to Nigerian parents, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":892640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[97277,31415,2005],"tags":[97276,11069],"class_list":{"0":"post-892639","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-atalantas","8":"category-honest","9":"category-soccer","10":"tag-atalantas","11":"tag-honest"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/892639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=892639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/892639\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/892640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=892639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=892639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=892639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}