By Taiwo Ibrahim
Former Super Eagles captain, John Mikel Obi has tipped Bournemouth midfielder, Phillip Billing to play for Nigeria, Sportivationng.com reports.
Billing has been impressive for Bournemouth in the Premier League this season, posting impressive performances against Arsenal and Liverpool.
He scored the winning goal against Liverpool last weekend.
Billing is still eligible to represent Nigeria through his father, even though he has played two friendly matches for Denmark.
Under FIFA rules, he can still switch his international allegiance as he is yet to play for Denmark in a competitive match.
In 2018, Former Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr approached Billing in a bid to convince him to play for Nigeria but he rejected the offer.
Mikel singled out the 26-year-old for his performance against Arsenal.
“He was to me the best player on the pitch (against Arsenal) but I understand why Reiss Nelson was voted man of the match,” Mikel said in an interview about Biling, after he scored against Arsenal.
Billing scored the second fastest goal in Premier League history against Arsenal after 9.11 seconds.
He has also urged the national team handlers to revisit Billing’s matter again.
“I am aware of the effort by the last coach of the team and I think the time to revisit that talk is probably now,” Mikel said.
Billing was born in Denmark to a Danish mother and a Nigerian father. His full name is Philip Anyanwu Billing.
He represented Denmark at the youth level, and made his international debut against Faroe Island in a friendly in 2020.
He has scored 25 goals in 133 appearances for Bournemouth since joining in 2019, he plays as a midfielder for the Premier League club.
