Tosin Adarabioyo in Nigeria - How Mikel Obi's viral 'don’t wait till you are 29' take affects Chelsea star

Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo is reportedly set to pledge his international future to Nigeria after spending days in the country with a visit to the Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwoolu.

The 26-year-old centre-back, who came through Manchester City’s academy and earned recognition as a key performer at Fulham before his move to Chelsea, has long been on the radar of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

However, a senior call-up had remained elusive as the defender kept his options open for England.

Adarabioyo has featured 14 times for England at youth levels at the U16 through U19, but has never made the senior Three Lions squad.

While he expressed interest in switching to Nigeria as far back as 2020, a formal commitment was never made until now.

Following his FIFA World Cup victory, the Chelsea defender visited Nigeria for the first time with his family, including his two brothers. While in Lagos, he met with Governor Babajide Sanwoolu and watched youth football at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena.

“It’s my first time in Nigeria, so it’s been a very nice time. A warm welcome from everybody as soon as I landed. I had a very nice, very nice welcome. I’m experiencing everything for the first time here with my family, with my two brothers, first time being in Nigeria,” he said on Arise news.

Meanwhile, while speaking in Philadelphia during the FIFA World Club Cup, Adarabioyo is actively considering switching to the Nigerian national team.

“That is a question I have answered quite a bit recently, yeah, it is something that we are looking into in the future. It is a conversation I want to have; we will see how that goes,” he said.

Adarabioyo’s decision appears to align with a viral comment from Nigerian legend John Obi Mikel, who earlier this year gave blunt advice to players with dual nationality.

"He had the opportunity to come play for Nigeria. You know Nigeria were chasing him for years and he refused. Obviously, he had this partnership with Alan Shearer at Newcastle. They were banging in the goals, the partnership was flourishing they were having an amazing season and of course, the Nigerian FA kept asking him to come play for us but said he was waiting for England.

"Shola gave Nigeria a call when he was 29, almost 30 to come to play for us and then he came and he played only one year. The Nigerian FA didn't have an option because we were going to the World Cup. But he waited till he was past his best and decided to come play for Nigeria.

"Those are the things I am talking about, we are not second option. I didn't know what the situation was with his family back then but this is just an example."

At 26, Adarabioyo appears to be heeding that warning early, knowing that international football opportunities don’t wait forever.