Remo Stars right back, Sodiq Ismail says he was shocked when he got his first call-up to the Super Eagles.

Ismail received a call-up before the national team for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Lesotho.

The right-back play who has been dubbed the assist king in the NPFL plies his trade for Remo Stars.

Speaking in an interview on The Punch, he said "Honestly speaking, I wasn’t expecting the call-up in the first place, and that was why I was so happy when the list came out. Words couldn’t describe how I felt because I was extremely happy and delighted."

He further revealed he was in Kwara preparing for an away game when he was informed of his invitation.

"I was in Kwara for an away NPFL game when I got to know about the invitation to the national team for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Lesotho. I was in bed when a friend called me to congratulate me. I was wondering what the congratulation was for until he told me that I should go and check online that the news was everywhere. I quickly jumped up and checked to confirm, and when I logged into social media, I saw a lot of congratulatory messages from friends and fans," he said.