Having earned a move to Belgian outfit Genk following an impressive few years in the Dutch Eredivisie, Cyriel Dessers will be hoping to cement his place in the Nigerian national team. Having made the decision to represent the Super Eagles, despite being born in Belgium, Dessers received his first call up by Head Coach Gernot Rohr earlier this year, with the striker potentially being a name to look out for ahead of the 2021 African Cup of Nations.
Cyriel Dessers
15 goals for Heracles Almelo last season brought Dessers to the attention of many clubs across Europe, with the 25-year-old having been the Eredivisie’s joint-top goalscorer after 26 games. Coming off the back of a frustrating spell at FC Utrecht, in which he made just 11 appearances, Dessers’ find form in front of goal for Heracles saw his complete a move to Genk earlier this summer, where he has already opened his account.
Will Dessers Feature for the Super Eagles in the Near Future?
Dessers was denied an international debut for Nigeria because of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the attacker having received a call up to the Super Eagles squad for their African Cup of Nations qualifying match against Sierra Leone back in March, only for the encounter to be postponed.
Dessers scored on his competitive debut for Genk in a 2-1 win over Zulte-Waregem on the opening day of the season in Belgium, while he will be hoping to repeat the trick against rivals Standard Liege this weekend, a match in which his team are the 3.20 underdogs for victory with bookie Bet365 .
Dessers Plays Down Links to Belgium
After failing to make his debut for Nigeria, reports emerged that Dessers could still play for Belgium, the country of his birth. However, Dessers was quick to play down such rumours, with the striker and his family being excited for a future with the Super Eagles.
Dessers has joined fellow Super Eagle Paul Onuachu at Genk, who himself scored his first goal for Nigeria in a friendly match against Egypt last year. The duo could well feature for both club and country over the coming years, however competition for places is fierce, with new Napoli signing Victor Osimhen and Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho remaining well and truly in the mix. It is clear that Nigeria will not be short of attacking options for the 2021 African Cup of Nations however, a tournament in which the Super Eagles have already been priced as one of the favourites by online bookies.