I Once Quit Football to Learn Barbing — Super Eagles New Invitee Akinsanmiro Reveals Journey

Super Eagles debutant Ebenezer Akinsanmiro has revealed that he once walked away from football for several years to learn barbing, unsure whether the sport would ever offer him a future.

The 21-year-old midfielder shared his journey in an interview with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) media team on Monday, recounting how persistence and faith eventually earned him his first senior national team call-up.

Akinsanmiro is one of five new faces included in Nigeria’s squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Currently on loan at Italian Serie A club Pisa SC from Inter Milan, Akinsanmiro joined the Nerazzurri in 2023 from Remo Stars after rising through Beyond Limit Academy at the age of 18.

Reacting to his invitation, the midfielder said the moment was deeply emotional, describing it as the fulfilment of a lifelong ambition.

“It has been my dream for a very long time. I have always wanted to play for the national team. I tried from the U-17 and U-20 levels, but at some point I felt I wasn’t good enough,” he said. “I just kept pushing and hoping that one day the opportunity would come.”

He also spoke about growing up in modest surroundings where watching football matches was not always accessible.

“Where I grew up, you had to pay to watch football, so I didn’t really watch much. I just loved playing the game.”

Akinsanmiro credited his love for football to his family, noting that his father and brothers all played at amateur level. Still, uncertainty about making it as a professional forced him to consider another path.

“There was a time I felt football wasn’t something where success is guaranteed. So I had to learn a trade,” he explained. “I stopped playing football for months, even years, to learn barbing.”

The midfielder is already among the early arrivals at the Super Eagles’ camp at the Renaissance Hotel in Cairo, Egypt. Others in camp include Ademola Lookman, Semi Ajayi, Stanley Nwabali, Francis Uzoho, Paul Onuachu, Calvin Bassey, Frank Onyeka and Alex Iwobi.

Nigeria will hold its first training session at 8 p.m. at the Cairo International Stadium ahead of a friendly match against Egypt on Tuesday. The team will later relocate to Fès, Morocco, which will serve as their base for the tournament.

The 2025 AFCON begins on December 21, with Nigeria drawn in Group C alongside Tunisia, Tanzania and Uganda. The Super Eagles will open their campaign against Tanzania on December 23.

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