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Uncapped 26-year-old forward Simy Nwankwo could become the latest Super Eagle in the coming days if, as expected, he makes his international debut in a pre-World Cup friendly against the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Crotone forward appears set to fulfil the childhood dream of almost every professional footballer and don the colours of their country, although he arrives the international scene at an advanced stage in his career. Should he make his Nigeria debut in the upcoming weeks, he won't be the first Super Eagle to only launch his international career in his mid-to-late 20s. In this feature, KweséESPN profile six Nigerians who only began their international careers at an advanced age. Is Simy primed to follow in their footsteps? Efan Ekoku was a late bloomer with the Super Eagles, making his debut only few months before his 27th birthday in 1994. The then-Norwich City forward was the part of the team which secured Nigeria's second continental title at the 1994 African Cup of Nations. Ekoku built on his brilliant start to life as an international footballer and was a part Nigeria's first World Cup campaign in the United States a few months later. He also made the squad for the 1995 King Fahd Cup and scored six goals in 20 outings for the national side. Benedict Akwuegbu first came to the attention of football fans as member of the Nigeria U-17 team at the 1989 FIFA World Cup. Despite not getting any minutes at the tournament, he went on to make a name for himself in Europe, notably in Austria. After several years of being snubbed by national-team selectors, Akwuegbu, then 26, eventually got the green light from Jo Bonfrere ahead of the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations co-hosted by Ghana and Nigeria. The forward made his debut in the Eagles' opening game against Tunisia, and would play his part as Nigeria finished runners-up. He was also part of the 2002 World Cup squad.  Shola Ameobi fulfilled a personal ambition of playing at the World Cup when he represented Nigeria in Brazil in 2014. After initially turning down the advances from the West African nation, the ex-England U-21 international would make a U-turn a decade later, and made his Nigeria debut at the age of 31. Ahead of Nigeria's qualification, a delighted Ameobi stated: "It's been a dream this late in my career, it's almost surreal. "It's not something I thought would happen, so to be given the chance to do something I cherish, to represent the country of my birth and to try and help Nigeria reach the World Cup finals is really exciting." Despite spending less than two years in the Nigeria setup, Ameobi scored two goals - against Burkina Faso and Italy - in 10 appearances, and twice came off the bench during the tournament in Brazil. New Brighton and Hove Albion signing Leon Balogun was a handed a shock maiden international call-up three months before his 26th birthday in 2014. The defender, however, endured a nightmare start to life in the green-and-white of Nigeria, crashing into the advertising hoarding, and subsequently fracturing his foot less than five minutes into his debut in a friendly against Mexico. He appeared unperturbed by the injury setback, expressing his delight at how he felt at home representing his fatherland. Indeed Balogun slowly but steadily grew into the Nigeria national team, and will start in the heart of Nigeria's defence alongside William Troost-Ekong in Russia.  Odion Ighalo surprisingly only earned his first-ever Nigeria call-up in March 2015, making his debut against Uganda. The then-26-year-old striker must have given up all hope of turning out for Nigeria, after repeatedly being ignored despite turning out regularly for Granada in La Liga. However, he got his opportunity under interim manager Daniel Amokachi, and hasn't looked back since then. He will compete with Simy for the chance to lead the line for the Super Eagles in Russia. Carl Ikeme was hastily thrown into the international fray against Tanzania in September 2015, following the last-minute withdrawal of Vincent Enyeama due to a personal bereavement. The 29-year-old looked assured between the sticks, repeatedly pulling off saves to earn Sunday Oliseh a nervy point on his first Super Eagles managerial outing. Ikeme's fortune has declined sharply since, with a leukaemia diagnosis denying the stopper the opportunity to represent Nigeria at the World Cup or take part in Wolverhampton Wanderers' triumphant promotion campaign.
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