Iheanacho Super Eagles return comes after a remarkable Bursaspor run, with the striker reaffirming his passion for representing Nigeria

Kelechi Iheanacho, the 30-year-old Nigeria forward, has spoken about his return to the Super Eagles ahead of Nigeria’s international friendly against Russia, describing national-team football as a long-standing privilege rooted in his love for the game and his country.

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Iheanacho returns to the squad after being omitted from Nigeria’s recent Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches, with his recall coming amid a remarkable run of form for Turkish second-tier club Bursaspor.

The forward has scored 11 goals and supplied two assists in eight league appearances for Bursaspor this season, scoring in every league match since joining the club. His form earned him recognition as the best player of the opening eight rounds of the Turkish 1. Lig by beIN SPORTS.

The turnaround has given the Iheanacho Super Eagles return a particularly positive backdrop. The striker joined Bursaspor as a free agent in July after leaving Celtic, where he had helped the Scottish club win the league and cup double. The Turkish Football Federation lists his Bursaspor contract as running from July 18, 2026, to June 30, 2029.

Iheanacho’s latest spell of form has been especially striking because it followed a period in which his place in the Super Eagles had become less certain.

The 11-goal run includes a brace in Bursaspor’s 2-1 comeback victory over Batman Petrolspor on September 19.

That result moved Bursaspor to the top of the Turkish second tier, while Iheanacho’s scoring sequence reached eight consecutive league matches.

The performance also brought an unexpected moment of affection from Bursaspor supporters.

Fans were filmed chanting Iheanacho’s name on the flight back to Bursa following the victory, underlining how quickly the Nigerian forward had connected with his new club’s supporters.

For Iheanacho, however, the return to Nigeria’s senior side is about more than recent statistics.

“I have been in the Super Eagles, even in the national team in general, for a long, long time,” Iheanacho said in comments published by Daily Post.

“Starting from the Under-12 and Under-13, Under-15, Under-17 and all the rest of them to the Super Eagles, I’ve been here for a very long time.”

The striker also made clear that his willingness to represent Nigeria does not depend on the profile of a particular fixture.

“If na U-15 or U-13 dem invite me, I go play. Anything wey anybody wan talk, as long as the coach give me call-up say make I come play, I go come play,” he said.

His comments reflect a relationship with the national team that began long before his senior international career.

Iheanacho represented Nigeria at youth level and became a prominent figure during the country’s victorious 2013 FIFA Under-17 World Cup campaign, where he won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s outstanding player.

He made his senior Nigeria debut in 2015 and has since established himself as one of the country’s most experienced attacking options. Current statistical records put his senior international tally at 14 goals, with his career total standing at close to 60 appearances depending on the classification of non-FIFA fixtures.

The Russia friendly also offers a different setting from the competitive matches that preceded it. Super Eagles head coach Éric Chelle selected a separate squad for the October 6 fixture after Nigeria’s September Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.

Nigeria’s trip to Russia follows a difficult qualifying window, including a 3-0 defeat by Guinea-Bissau.

The friendly therefore provides Chelle with an opportunity to assess players outside his most established group while giving returning players such as Iheanacho a chance to strengthen their claims.

Iheanacho’s current form makes that opportunity particularly significant. Reports from the Super Eagles camp say the forward has impressed in training with his sharpness and finishing, although any decision on his starting role remains with Chelle.

The match is scheduled for Tuesday, October 6, at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. It will be Nigeria’s second meeting with Russia in roughly 16 months, following a 1-1 draw between the sides in their previous encounter.

Iheanacho’s return also comes at a time when Nigeria’s attack is dealing with the absence of several established players.

Victor Osimhen has been unavailable because of injury, while the Russia squad differs substantially from the group used in the recent AFCON qualifiers.

The circumstances leave the Bursaspor forward with a potentially important role, but the friendly should not be viewed as a guarantee of a permanent return to Chelle’s preferred competitive squad.

Nigeria’s coach has deliberately used the fixture to examine a broader group of players.

For Iheanacho, the immediate priority appears simpler: enjoy another opportunity to wear the green and white.

“I’m not coming to the national team because of anybody or because of anything. It’s because of the love I have for the game and the passion,” he said.

“For every Nigerian, it is the dream to play for the Super Eagles as long as you are a Nigerian. I’ve been living that dream for a long time.”

Born in Owerri on October 3, 1996, Iheanacho has spent more than a decade in senior football, including spells with Manchester City, Leicester City, Sevilla, Middlesbrough and Celtic before his move to Bursaspor.

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His return to form in Turkey has now opened another chapter with Nigeria, giving the experienced forward an opportunity to turn a personal revival into an influential international performance.