saharareporters
Bayern Munich star David Alaba has revealed he was asked to pay a bribe by the Golden Eaglets coaches so he could be selected for the 2007 FIFA Under-17 World Cup.
Alaba, born in Vienna, Austria, to a Filipino mother and Nigerian father, was eligible to represent the Super Eagles before he eventually settled for Austria, his country of birth.
However, the extraordinary left back, who is also versed with a number of other positions, told allnigeriasoccer.com he trained with the Nigeria U17s containing the likes of Lukman Haruna, Macauley Chrisantus and Rabiu Ibrahim ahead of the tournament in South Korea and impressed during the training camp.
The paper wrote: “The Golden Eaglets coaches wanted to collect money from Alaba but his mother insisted that there was no way she going to part with a single penny.
“Speaking recently, the 26-year-old has labelled the Nigeria U17 coaches 'jokers' and has vowed not to respond to their greetings if he is approached by the coaches.”
Nigeria eventually won the tournament but Alaba would have undoubtedly gone on to become a shining star of the Super Eagles.
A six-time Austrian Footballer of the Year, Alaba has earned 68 caps for Austria, scoring 13 goals and representing them at the 2016 European Championship.
He holds Austria's record as the youngest player to play for their senior national team, having made his debut in 2009 as a 17-year-old.
As a very versatile player, he has played in a multitude of roles, including central midfield, central defence, right and left wing, but has since blossomed as a left-back
Since debuting for Bayern in 2009, Alaba has won a total of 15 titles.
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