Obafemi: It felt good to play for my country
IRELAND’S new kid on the block, Michael Obafemi insists there was no major dilemma about pledging his international future to Ireland ahead of Nigeria and England. The Southampton striker became the first player born this century to represent Ireland at senior level when he was introduced with 10 minutes left of last night’s stalemate in Denmark. The appearance commits Obafemi to Ireland, a country his family left for England when he was two years old.
‘I’d been with Ireland’s Under 19s and hadn’t played for anyone else, so it wasn’t a tough decision,’ said the teenager. ‘Shane Long had told me all about how good the camp was and I really settled in. I even got through my initiation song [Take Me Home] Country Roads, no problem. ‘It’s a good feeling to represent my country and get my first cap. In fact, it was an amazing feeling for myself.
I wouldn’t say I was nervous. I’d say I was more excited to show what I can do. ‘Hopefully, I can get more minutes the next time and show what I can do. ‘My mum (Bola) and my brother were here. I was only two when I left Ireland but I still visit now and then to see my family. My aunties live in Dublin.’ Captain Seamus Coleman was adamant the clean sheet can be built upon for the Euro 2020 qualifiers which begin in March. ‘It wasn’t great this year but we can definitely improve,’ he said. ‘We tried to get into Denmark in the right areas and win the ball back and I thought we did that at times. ‘Just a little bit of improvement in the final third and we’ll be going in the right direction. New players have come into the squad, giving more competition for next year. ‘You know when we put on this Ireland jersey we play with massive pride, we’ve had some big results in the past and I believe that can be the case again.’