Nigeria's ongoing pursuit of dual-national talents has drawn criticism from 1996 Olympic gold medalist Emmanuel Babayaro, who believes the Nigeria Football Federation should shift focus to homegrown development. Babayaro pointed to defender Michael Kayode, currently on Brentford's books, as an example of a player prioritizing Italy over Nigeria, despite his Nigerian heritage. Kayode played a decisive role in Italy's 2023 European U19 Championship triumph, scoring the winning goal in the final against Portugal. According to Babayaro, players like Kayode are more inclined to represent nations with stronger football reputations, only considering Nigeria when overlooked elsewhere. He described such late switches as Nigeria "taking the leftovers," arguing that this reliance undermines long-term progress. Of the 28 players in Nigeria's provisional 2025 Africa Cup of Nations squad, five were born abroad, including Semi Ajayi, Ademola Lookman, Calvin Bassey, Ryan Alebiosu and Cyriel Dessers. Others like Alex Iwobi, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Bright Osayi-Samuel, though born in Nigeria, were eligible for England and played for youth teams before committing to the Super Eagles. Babayaro stressed that sustainable success hinges on improving local talent production rather than banking on dual-national players who may not have Nigeria as their first choice.