RB Leipzig’s 18-year-old Dutch-Nigerian winger Ayodele Thomas has signalled his openness to representing the Super Eagles at the senior level, despite previously featuring for the Netherlands youth teams. The teenager, who joined Leipzig in February 2026, is not capped, and his international future remains wide open.
A Familiar Story With a Fresh Name
Nigeria has been here before. A promising young footballer, born and bred in the Netherlands, carrying Nigerian blood and the weight of a decision that will define his international career. This time, the name is Ayodele Thomas. He’s 18, he’s just signed for RB Leipzig, and sources close to the player say he’s genuinely interested in wearing the green and white of the Super Eagles.
Thomas was born on 23 July 2007 in Almere, the Netherlands, to Nigerian parents. He came through the youth academies of Almere City, Feyenoord, and PSV Eindhoven before completing a €400,000 move to RB Leipzig on 2 February 2026, signing a long-term contract that runs until June 2031. At 18, he’s already in the Bundesliga’s most progressive development environment.
He holds dual Dutch and Nigerian citizenship. He has represented the Netherlands at the U-15 and U-19 levels , but under current FIFA regulations, youth appearances do not cap-tie a player to a nation’s senior team. That means Nigeria can still come calling, and Thomas, for his part, hasn’t shut the door.
The Nigerian Connection Is Real
This isn’t just a case of a player leaving an option open for tactical reasons. According to FootballInNigeria.com.ng, sources close to Thomas indicate genuine enthusiasm about the possibility of representing Nigeria. He reportedly visited the country in 2025 and was photographed wearing the Nigerian national team jersey, which is about as clear a public signal as a player can send without making a formal declaration.
Born and raised in the Netherlands, Thomas has maintained a meaningful connection to his Nigerian roots throughout his development. That background, combined with his evident interest, has put him firmly on the radar of those tracking Nigeria’s next generation of international talent.
Date of Birth: 23 July 2007, Almere, Netherlands
Position: Left Winger
Current Club: RB Leipzig (since 2 February 2026)
Contract: Until June 2031
Transfer Fee: €400,000 (from PSV Eindhoven)
Citizenship: Netherlands / Nigeria
Youth Career: Almere City, Feyenoord (2020-2023), PSV (2023-2024)
Market Value: €650,000 (Transfermarkt)
Club First, Eagles Second
Thomas’s camp has been clear on one point: the immediate priority is football at the club level. His goal right now is to break into RB Leipzig’s first team, establish himself in the Bundesliga, and prove he belongs at that level. A final call on his international allegiance is expected only once he’s settled into life as a senior professional.
That’s a sensible approach. Leipzig signed him for a reason. The club is known for identifying and developing young attacking talent, and Thomas’s style, his pace, dribbling, and attacking instincts, fit exactly what Leipzig’s high-press system demands from wide players. His 2025/26 pre-signing season with PSV’s reserve side in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie showed what he’s capable of: 3 goals and 6 assists in 18 appearances, contributing to 26% of his team’s goals when he played. That’s a significant output for a teenager in professional football.
The Precedent Is Strong
Nigeria has converted Netherlands-born talent before, and successfully so. William Troost-Ekong and Tyronne Ebuehi are two of the most prominent examples, both making the switch from Dutch football systems to the Super Eagles setup and going on to become important contributors. Ebuehi has spoken openly about having no regrets about choosing Nigeria. Troost-Ekong was the Eagles’ defensive leader and captain for years.
If Thomas follows that path, he’d bring something different: a versatile left winger with Bundesliga exposure at one of Europe’s most analytically sophisticated clubs. That profile is exactly what Nigeria’s attack can use in the years ahead, particularly as the national team looks to build depth beyond its established attacking stars.
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📊 Analysis: Nigeria’s Dual-National Pipeline
Nigeria’s strategy of recruiting dual nationals has been a defining feature of Super Eagles squads for over a decade. It works in two directions. Players like Troost-Ekong and Ebuehi chose Nigeria over the Netherlands and contributed meaningfully at the highest level. Others, however, chose Europe, and Nigeria lost them entirely.
With Thomas, the NFF has time on its side. He’s 18, his contract at Leipzig runs until 2031, and his international future won’t be decided overnight. The key is relationship building. Getting him into the Super Eagles environment early, even as an observer or guest, has historically been one of the most effective ways of converting dual nationals before they’re formally approached for a senior squad.
The risk of waiting too long is real. If Thomas breaks through at Leipzig, the Netherlands could make a stronger case. The NFF needs to be proactive, not reactive, in this pursuit.
What Happens Next
Thomas won’t be rushing into any decisions. His focus between now and the end of the season is making an impression at Leipzig, earning playing time, and showing the technical staff what he can do. Any Super Eagles conversation will likely become more concrete once he’s established himself at the senior club level.
Nigeria’s next set of international fixtures will come before a formal approach to Thomas is expected. But with the 2025/26 Bundesliga season still in progress and Thomas now registered and available for Leipzig, the stage is set for him to make the kind of statements that accelerate these conversations.
The Super Eagles are watching. So is the KNVB. For Thomas, the decision doesn’t have to come today. But it will come. And when it does, Nigerian football will be hoping the answer is the one fans are already anticipating.
📌 Did You Know?
- Ayodele Thomas came through the youth system at Feyenoord, one of the Netherlands’ most storied clubs, before moving to PSV Eindhoven’s academy in 2023. Feyenoord won the Eredivisie title in the 2022/23 season, the period Thomas spent in their development setup.
- Thomas signed for RB Leipzig on a contract running until June 2031, meaning Leipzig has secured him until he’s 23 years old. It’s one of the longest contracts offered to a teenager in the club’s recent transfer history.
- RB Leipzig also signed Brighton midfielder Brajan Gruda on loan on the same day Thomas’s deal was confirmed, 2 February 2026, suggesting the club is aggressively rebuilding its wide options mid-season.
- Thomas wore the number 21 jersey for RB Leipzig after joining, the same squad number previously worn by several of the club’s attacking midfielders during the club’s Bundesliga history.
- Under current FIFA regulations, players who have represented a nation at youth level, including U-20 and below, can switch senior international allegiance provided they meet specific conditions, including not having played a competitive senior international match for the original nation.
- Tyronne Ebuehi, one of the Netherlands-born players who chose Nigeria, made his decision largely influenced by William Troost-Ekong, who personally encouraged him to commit to the Super Eagles. A similar mentorship approach from Nigeria’s senior stars could prove decisive in the Thomas case.
- Thomas’s market value on Transfermarkt currently stands at €650,000, but his long-term contract at Leipzig and the club’s track record of developing young attackers suggest that valuation is expected to climb significantly if he breaks into first-team football.
