It seems Nigeria’s 2018 World Cup kit is not only a hit among fans – opposition players are also lining up to get their hands on the jersey.
The Super Eagles wore the new Nike kit in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to England at Wembley Stadium, and a Nigeria team official told KweséESPN that several Three Lions players requested and exchanged shirts with the visitors after the game.
Defender William Troost-Ekong was one of those who gave up his shirt, exchanging it with former Tottenham Hotspur academy mate Harry Kane, while Ahmed Musa swapped shirts with Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy.
The Nigeria kit has been in huge demand since it was launched in February. When retail sales opened on June 1, the shirts quickly sold out as fans queued for over two hours in London to purchase them.
In Nigeria, despite a flood of counterfeit shirts having been in the market for at least a month, and the originals being priced at over N30 000 (almost double the country’s minimum wage), the shirts have flown off the shelves and demand continues unabated.
Midfielder Ogenyi Onazi tells KweséESPN that he tried to order some for friends and family, but he hit a roadblock: “I wanted to buy for my family and friends that morning, but they said it was out of stock.
Arsenal star Alex Iwobi was just as surprised: “I heard from some of my friends that they tried to buy some but couldn’t find it. I don’t know if that’s good or bad for us.”
An email to a NIKE communications representative remains unanswered.
