Six players starring at AFCON that could have played for England including former Arsenal ace

At least six players are starring at the African Cup of Nations who were eligible to play for England.

AFCON kicked off at the weekend, with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Victor Osimhen all going toe-to-toe to claim the continental prize.

And viewers will spot several players across the 24 teams at the tournament that were eligible to play for England, before opting to represent their African nation of choice.

Here are six stars that could have represented the Three Lions.

Antoine Semenyo

Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo was born in Chelsea, England, but is of Ghanaian descent. Semenyo came through South Gloucestershire and Stroud College before joining Bristol City and eventually signing for Premier League side Bournemouth.

While eligible to play for England, his father, Larry, is a former footballer who played as a midfielder for Okwawu United in the Ghana Premier League.

Semenyo opted to represent the country of his parents, debuting for the Ghana national team in a 3-0 win over Madagascar in AFCON qualifying in June 2022.

Alex Iwobi

Alex Iwobi, formally of Arsenal, was born in Lagos before moving to England at the age of four, following a brief stay in Turkey.

The 27-year-old grew up in Newham, London, and represented England at under-16, under-17 and under-18 levels before in 2016 committing his international future to Nigeria.

Iwobi’s maternal uncle is former professional footballer Jay-Jay Okocha.

Calvin Bassey

Born in Italy, Calvin Bassey moved to England as a child. The 24-year-old grew up in Newham and was a product of Leicester City's youth system.

He was eligible to represent England, Italy and Nigeria, the latter of which through his parents.

Bassey committed his international future to the Super Eagles when he accepted a call-up for their 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

He debuted with Nigeria in a 0–0 draw with Ghana on 25 March 2022.

Bright Osayi-Samuel

Bright Osayi-Samuel was born in Okija, Nigeria, before moving to Spain and then England when he was ten years old.

The full-back grew up in Woolwich, London and came through Blackpool’s academy, before securing a move to Queen’s Park Rangers and then Fenerbahçe.

His performances in Turkey saw him receive his first international call-up with Nigeria in 2022 to play in a friendly game against Portugal.

Ademola Lookman

Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman was born in Wandsworth, London to Nigerian parents and attended St Thomas the Apostle College in Peckham.

The attacker represented England on 31 occasions across England’s Under-19, Under-20 and Under-21 squads and was part of the side that won the 2017 Under-20s European Championships.

He turned down the opportunity to represent Nigeria on four occasions, before switching his international allegiance in 2022 and debuting for the Super Eagles in the aforementioned 0-0 draw to Ghana.

Ola Aina

Ola Aina was born in Southwark, London and came through the ranks at Chelsea.

The full-back represented England at under-16, under-17, under-18, under-19 and England under-20 levels before pledging his international future to Nigeria and obtaining a Nigerian passport in 2017.

Topics: Football, Africa Cup Of Nations, Alex Iwobi

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.