When Napoli take on Juventus in Serie A tonight (Friday), attention will be on one particular Nigerian forward for the home team (more on him below).
But it’s not just the top tier of Italian football which boasts quality Nigerian talent, whether it’s a league’s top scorer, an improving midfielder or a fledgling full-back.
Read on to see who we’ve gone for as the best Nigerian player in five of Europe’s leading leagues. With four of these five players being under 25, it suggests that while Nigeria may have failed to qualify for last year’s World Cup in Qatar, the future could be looking much brighter.
Don’t forget you can bet on tonight’s Serie A match and all the weekend football with Bet9ja.
English Premier League: Alex Iwobi
Club: Everton
Age: 26
Position: Midfielder
There have been few success stories at Everton in recent times, but one of them is Alex Iwobi. Many Everton fans’ heads may have been scratched when the Merseyside club spent about £40m (€44.8m) to sign him from Arsenal in 2019, where he had often flattered to deceive as a wide player.
While Everton are currently in their second consecutive relegation battle, Iwobi has been one of their few strong performers this season, and his career has been rejuvenated since manager Frank Lampard moved him into the centre of midfield last season. His current assist tally of five in the Premier League this campaign is impressive given how his team have struggled, and should Everton be relegated to the Championship, there can be little doubt Premier League clubs will be queuing up to bring Iwobi back to the top flight.
Spanish La Liga: Samuel Chukwueze
Club: Villarreal
Age: 23
Position: Winger
Chukwueze was a product of Villarreal’s academy, and after a spell playing for Villarreal II, the right-sided winger made his first-team debut at the age of 19 in 2018. He has since gone on to become the youngest player to make 100 senior appearances for Villarreal.
The now 23-year-old has been an important part of his club’s recent success, as he started 10 matches in his team’s successful Europa League run in 2020/21, where they beat Manchester United on penalties in the final to claim their first and only major honour. They followed that up by reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League last season.
The current season has been a more challenging one for Chukwueze, as he has started seven league matches and come off the bench eight times, but his career so far has been an undoubted success.
Italian Serie A: Victor Osimhen
Club: Napoli
Age: 24
Position: Forward
The 24-year-old has lived up to his billing for Napoli after being signed from Lille in 2020 in a club record deal worth up to €80m. Osimhen made a fantastic start to the season before the World Cup break, and his 10 Serie A goals place him as the top scorer in the league. Those goals have helped Napoli towards the league’s summit, and they go into tonight’s game against second-placed Juventus seven points clear at the top of the table.
Osimhen is well on course to beat his goal total of 14 in Serie A last season, which was achieved from just 23 starts, and with an overall record of 39 goals from 59 starts, the high transfer fee seems to have been money well spent by Napoli. Can Osimhen help ensure they win their first league title since 1990?
French Ligue 1: Terem Moffi
Club: Lorient
Age: 23
Position: Forward
It would not be a shock to see teams from some of Europe’s other top leagues make a move to sign Moffi during the transfer window this month, as he has been prolific in front of goal so far this season. A return of 11 goals from 16 starts have propelled Lorient to sixth place in the Ligue 1 table.
The forward has proved to be good value for money since signing from Belgian club Kortrijk for about €8m in 2020, and he should comfortably beat his tally of 14 league goals in his opening season. At 23, there should be plenty more to come from what looks to be a promising career.
Dutch Eredivisie: Calvin Bassey
Club: Ajax
Age: 23
Position: Left-back
While Ajax are often associated with buying players cheap and selling them to teams in other European leagues for high prices, the Amsterdam club were prepared to make Bassey their second most expensive signing when they bought the left-back from Rangers last summer, in a deal which could be worth up to €27m with add-ons.
This followed two successful seasons at Rangers, where Bassey played a part in winning the club’s first league title in 10 years in 2021, as well as a run to the Europa League final in 2022.
Bassey has started the majority of Ajax’s league games this season, making 13 appearances and scoring his first goal for the club against Volendam in October. He has a decent chance of winning a second title in three years, with Ajax second in the Eredivisie, three points behind leaders Feyenoord.
Do you agree with our choices? Let us know on our socials!
