Former Super Eagles forward Michael Eneramo was once very close to playing for the Tunisian national team, Soccernet.ng reports.
The former Espérance Tunis striker was born in Kaduna, Nigeria and despite enjoying a solid club career, he found it difficult to replicate that opportunity on the international stage and had to wait until 2009 for a first chance.
How Michael Eneramo almost joined Tunisia
Michael Eneramo came very close to representing Tunisia at one point after he was repeatedly overlooked by the Super Eagles, even though he had previously featured for Nigeria at the U-20 level.
The Lobi Stars graduate earned a move to Tunisian giants Espérance Tunis earlier in his career and quickly became a fan favourite, playing a key role in the club’s success during his time there.
Despite his impressive performances, a call-up to the Nigerian senior team did not come due to the high level of competition in the squad. The Super Eagles had a long list of established stars at the time including Nwankwo Kanu, Obafemi Martins, Peter Odemwingie and Yakubu Aiyegbeni, making it extremely difficult for him to break into the team.
With chances looking slim, Eneramo began considering taking up Tunisian citizenship, especially as he had looked to feature at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. At that point, it looked like he would represent Tunisia, until Super Eagles head coach at the time, Shuaibu Amodu handed him a maiden call-up in 2009.
That ended Tunisia’s hopes and Eneramo went on to make his debut in a goalless draw against Jamaica in February 2009, coming on as a late substitute for Ikechukwu Uche. He scored his first international goal a few months later in May, during a 1-1 draw against Republic of Ireland in an international friendly match.
Ironically, he also scored in a 2-2 draw against Tunisia in September during the World Cup qualifiers, with Nigeria eventually qualifying at the expense of the Carthage Eagles.
Despite these, Eneramo missed out on the 2010 African Cup of Nations after being dropped from the squad and was also left out of Nigeria’s squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa by then coach Lars Lagerback.
He later returned to the team in September that same year, but finished his international career with just 10 caps and three goals.
Ex-Super Eagles star dies in Kaduna
The Nigerian football community was thrown into shock earlier on Friday, following news of Eneramo’s death, after he reportedly collapsed during a local friendly match in Kaduna.
According to reports, he had played the entire first half without any issues before going down a few minutes into the second half and while he was immediately rushed to the hospital, he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Eneramo had retired from professional football in 2018 after a successful career that took him across Tunisia, Algeria, Turkey and Saudi Arabia and was running a football academy after retirement.
Tributes have continued to pour in for the former Nigerian forward, who made 10 appearances for the national team, following the shocking news of his passing.
