From popularity to professionalism, the European continent is unarguably considered the home of modern football.
It houses the most widely followed football leagues in the world, the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A, the French Ligue 1, and the German Bundesliga.
Europe also hosts a continental showdown, The UEFA Champions League, that has stood tall among other continental tournaments in the world in terms of prestigiousness, sponsorship, and broadcasting.
Meanwhile, the European continent has not achieved this remarkable feat alone. Players from other continents, particularly South America and Africa, have significantly impacted Europe to greater limelight.
According to a report titled The African Power in Europe, there are over 500 African footballers in European leagues.
The number of players playing abroad is far higher than other, non-European leagues, like the Middle East and China, are factored in.
The report stated that African footballers are contracted by these clubs’ first teams in the 11 leagues, which constitutes approximately 6% of their total player base. Unsurprisingly, most of them come from West-African countries.
Senegal, Morocco, and Nigeria produce the highest number of players in European leagues, with 62, 55, and 54 players respectively, as of November 2021.
Others are Ivory Coast (50), Ghana (46), Algeria (32), Mali (32), Cameroon ((28), DR Congo (23), and Guinea (13), with West African states dominating the chart.
French League 1 has the highest number of African footballers with 107, Belgian Pro League (82), Turkish Süper Lig (82), Portuguese Primeira Liga (48), English Premier League (44), Italian Serie A (42), German Bundesliga (29), Dutch Eredivisie (28), Spanish LaLiga (25) Russian Premier Liga (18) and Austrian Bundesliga (9.)
2022/2023 Season: Stats of Nigerian Footballers in Europe
From Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Samuel Chukwueze to Asisat Oshoala, Nigerian footballers have made a remarkable impact on the pitch in the just concluded 2022/2023 football season in Europe league.
Some of them have written their names with a golden pen, others have broken significant records and have become the cornerstones of their respective clubs.
Victor Osimhen: The Naples’ Hitman
The 24-year-old Nigerian striker, Victor Osimhen has made incredible headlines in the 2022/2023 season following his sensational goal-scoring spell for his Italian club, Napoli.
The astonishing performance of the Super Eagles man has drawn the attention of European heavyweight clubs like Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and Chelsea to express their interest in signing up for his service.
There’s no doubt that Victor Osimhen has cemented himself as one of the outstanding elite strikers in the European continent, after clinching the Serie A top scorer award
with 26 goals, beating his closest rival Lautaro Martinez with 21 goals.
The Nigerian international became the first-ever African player to top the chart in Serie A and also broke George Weah’s record of 46 goals which has stood since 1999.
That was not all. 33 years since Diego Maradona lifted the Scudetto for Napoli, the Parteinpei have never laid their hands on the silverware until Victor Osimhen came to muster his moment of magic again to secure a 1-1 draw against Udinese to deliver the trophy.
Osimhen is the first player to combine winning the Capcannoniere (top scorer prize) alongside the Scudetto since 2009.
At the UEFA Champions League, the Nigeria striker Osimhen struck either side of half-time against Frankfurt to ensure no slip-ups in Naples and help his team secure a vital and deserved 5-0 aggregate win to advance to the Champions League last eight for the first time.
Even though Napoli crashed out of the competition in the last eight, the 24-year-old Nigerian striker managed to secure five goals in the UCL.
ALSO READ: Mertesacker says Arsenal well positioned to land Gundogan on free transfer
In the 2022/2023 Italian Serie A campaign, Victor Osimhen played 30 matches, the Nigeria striker had 55 shots on target from a total of 105 shots and scored 26 goals; with an average of 12 passes per match and a pass completion rate of 71% and four assists.
While in the UEFA Champions League, he played five matches, had eight shots on target from a total of 14 shots, and scored five goals. Osimhen had eight average passes per match with a pass completion rate of 69% and had zero assists.
‘Agba Baller’: The Super Zee Asisat Oshoala
Despite the incessant injury, Asisat Oshoala, fondly referred to as Super Zee by her teammates and labeled as ‘Agba Baller’ by the Catalan Giants FC Barcelona had a sparkling performance in the 2022/2023 season with the FC Barcelona Femini.
Asisat Oshoala, 28, is now the only African and Nigerian Woman player to win two European Cup titles. Even though she was not in action to face Wolfsburg in the Women’s UCL final clash, the Nigerian international had chipped in with five Champions League goals this season. The 28-year-old Oshoala was also instrumental when her side won the Spanish Super Cup, defeating Real Sociedad 0-3 in the final.
In the league, Oshoala, even though she was hampered by injuries, still managed to secure 21 goals, matching her highest goal tally in both competitions this season.
The Super Falcons Asisat Oshoala scored her first hat trick of the season last year to allow Barcelona Femeni to hammer Levante Las Planas 7-0, setting a world record of 50 straight league wins in the Spanish Primera Liga F.
Samuel Chukwueze: The Best African Player in La Liga
Nigerian winger, Samuel Chukwueze has emerged as the best African Player in Spanish La Liga, beating the likes of Morocco’s Yassine Bono, Iñaki Williams of Ghana, and Youssef En-Nesyri of Morocco, a clear testament to the spectacular waves Nigeria’s footballers are making in the European continent.
Villarreal’s Superstar Chukwueze clinched the milestone after being voted by more than 30,000 fans and 26 journalists from the African continent.
Chukwueze played 37 matches this season for Villarreal, starting 27 of them, and scored six league goals with a brace against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on 8th April 2023.
In all competitions in the 2022/2023 season, Chukwueze registered 13 goals and 11 assists; the first time he would be hitting double digits for goals and assists in a term.
His magical display this term has attracted interest from the likes of Real Madrid and a host of clubs in the English Premier League.
The Super Eagles winger became the first player to complete seven dribbles in a La Liga match against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu (seven out of eight) since Lionel Messi in 2017.
Kelechi Iheanacho: The Senior Man
Though Kelechi Iheanacho and his Leicester City have been relegated from the English Premier League this season, the Nigerian international has been instrumental for the Foxes following his switch from Manchester City.
In the 2022/23 English Premier League battle, Kelechi Iheanacho netted five times and provided six assists in 38 appearances for the Foxes.
The Super Eagles man averaged 10 passes per match with a pass completion rate of 75%.
He has won 60 aerial duels and 0 tackles. On top of this, he made a total of 1 block. Based on these statistics after match day 38 he ranks number 266 in the Premier League.
Kelechi Iheanacho scored a landmark goal to send Leicester City to the Fourth Round of the FA Cup following a 1-0 victory over Gillingham.
Ademola Lookman
Another Nigerian Superstar who had made sensational performances in the just concluded Serie A season is Ademola Lookman, a 25-year-old winger who has netted 13 goals in 30 appearances for Atalanta.
Despite suffering an injury setback, the Super Eagles star has proved his worth and reached a milestone. After scoring his 13th league goal in Atalanta’s 3-1 win over Cremonese in a Serie A fixture played at the Stadio Giovanni Zini, the Nigerian striker Ademola Lookman became the first striker to reach that milestone in his first season for the Nerazzurri in 70 years.
The 25-year-old was unplayable and impressive for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side and has formed an important part of the team. Thus, he, together with Victor Osimhen, have made it to the Serie A Team of the Season nominee list
Ademola Lookman has registered 13 goals in 30 matches for Atalanta. Looking into his passing aspect of the game, it shows that Lookman passes the ball roughly 30.97 times during a game with a pass completion rate of 78.39%.
Taiwo Awoniyi and Teremas Igobor Moffi
Another young Nigerian star who created incredible moments in Europe is Taiwo Awoniyi.
The 25-year-old has recorded 10 goals in 27 matches for Nottingham Forest in the just-concluded Premier League campaign. Awoniyi became the first Forest player to score in each of his first three Premier League starts at the City Ground after securing a 1-0 win against Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Teremas Igobor Moffi on his part for Nice on loan from Lorient in Ligue 1, the 23-year-old has netted 18 times after 38 matches in the 2022/2023 season.
Moffi was the only Nigeria international that had averaged a goal every 106 minutes in the season, scoring braces against Clermont Foot and Lens before strikes against Lyon and Auxerre.
The 23-year-old is currently the most expensive player in the Lorient squad.
The Others
Things did really go down well for Alex Iwobi, as he only managed to secure two goals in 34 appearances for Everton in the concluded English Premier League campaign.
Alex Iwobi averaged 38 passes per match with a pass completion rate of 79%, and provided six assists.
For Moses Simon at the French Ligue 1, the Nigerian international registered five goals and four assists for his side Nantes. In the UEFA Champions League, he played five matches, had two shots on target but could not see the back of the net before bowing out of the competition.
Leon Balogun, and Calvin Bassey all played for Rangers, and have significantly polished the season for their club.
Nigerian full-back, Calvin Bassey has also been instrumental for Ajax. The 25-year-old defender was named man of the match after his side’s 1-0 victory against NEC in the Dutch Eredivisie, Netherlands.
Unfortunately for Joe Aribo and Paul Onuachu, they both suffered relegation heartbreak with Southampton in the English Premier League.
“FCT remains a hub for grassroots tennis development, with players from other states...
Isak has endured a bitterly frustrating spell since completing a British record £125m move from…
Europe’s biggest clubs are packed with elite wide attackers, yet only a select few can…
He won ten shot put medals at the Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA) during his…
Morgan Rogers is open to playing outside England as a host of clubs are in…
The FA assured all football-loving residents and the general public that maximum security measures...
This website uses cookies.