Cyriel Dessers proud to be with Nigeria team at Unity Cup

Cyriel Dessers. Photo credit: Nigeria Football Federation

Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers has declared his strong Nigerian identity, expressing his delight at returning to the Nigeria national team for the Unity Cup games.

The Rangers striker said his mirror always reminds him of his roots, adding that he is looking forward to helping the three-time African champions secure more victories. Dessers opened the score line for Nigeria in their 2-1 win over Ghana in the Unity Cup clash at the Gtech Community Stadium in London on Wednesday.

Speaking after the game, the Belgian-born attacker, who qualified to play for Nigeria because of his Nigerian mother, expressed his pride in representing Nigeria.

"I'm very happy to be back. It's always an honour to be called up and to be here with the boys and the staff," he said. "When you look in the mirror, you see Nigeria. At the moment I got the call, I didn't have to think about it for a long time. When you get the call, you want to go, I went."

He also expressed his hopes to represent Nigeria in major tournaments.

"I've already had a few beautiful moments with the Super Eagles, but I hope to add more. I want to play in major tournaments," added Dessers. "That would be a dream for me, something that would almost complete my career, if I could represent Nigeria at a big tournament and hopefully win something for the country."

The 30-year-old went further to appreciate the support from Nigerians in the diaspora who turned up to see them get a victory.

"It's exciting to play here in London. We know there are a lot of Nigerians here, and that support means everything. The first game was against one of our biggest rivals, so it was always going to be special."

Dessers, who won the Scottish Premiership Golden Boot for the 2024-2025 season, made his senior international debut in October 2020, and has scored 3 goals in 7 caps for Nigeria.