Chibuike Nwaiwu has expressed pride in being selected for the Super Eagles, admitting that representing his country is a dream come true for him.

Initially left of manager Eric Chelle's 23-man roster for the March internationals against Iran and Jordan, the Trabzonspor centre-back was handed a late call-up on Tuesday as a replacement for Calvin Bassey who was forced to withdraw from the squad due to a back injury.

Nwaiwu became the latest player to make his debut for the Super Eagles after coming off the bench to replace Igoh Igbu in the 57th minute as Nigeria defeated Iran 2-1 on Friday afternoon.

The 22-year-old revealed that  his excitement to represent Nigeria almost caused him to miss his flight to join the Super Eagles in Antalya, Türkiye.

Speaking to the Super Eagles media team, Nwaiwu said: "It is a privilege for me to represent my country because the dream of all footballers in the world is to represent their country, and I am very happy to make my debut today".

Reflecting on today's friendly, Nwaiwu praised Iran, highlighting that the Asian side has been a regular fixture at recent World Cups.

"They are a very good side; they qualify for World Cups. We took our chances and did a good job. I believe in God, and I believe hard work pays off. Right from my NPFL days, I always said I would wear the national team shirt; I want to represent my country."

Nwaiwu revealed that he was overwhelmed with excitement when Trabzonspor notified him of his Super Eagles call-up.

"When I got the text in my club, I was very happy and excited, and I'm very happy to be here to wear the shirt. I was very excited, and because of the excitement, I nearly missed my flight. When my club posted it, it was a great moment for me."

Nwaiwu's Trabzonspor teammate Paul Onuachu was also a second half substitute against Iran, 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel