In recent years Nigerian sport has gone to another level, with some of the stars reaching global popularity. Here are five of the most popular athletes to come out of Nigeria in recent years.
Victor Osimhen
Napoli’s star man enjoyed a superb season in Italy last year, with his iconic face mask becoming one of the most recognizable accessories in the football world as he fired them to Serie A glory. Osimhen’s current status is as popular as a Nigerian football player has been on the world stage since the legendary Jay-Jay Okocha, and with many of Europe’s biggest clubs looking for a number nine in the transfer market Osimhen’s popularity will likely only increase from here on.
Israel Adesanya
With Mixed Martial Arts exploding in popularity year on year, Nigerian knockout artist Israel Adesanya has appeared as one of the leading names in the sport- especially after a stunning knockout of Alex Pereira in April helped him reclaim his UFC middleweight title. The Lagos-born kickboxer is a true performer- he has more than eight million Instagram followers and has won eight of his ten title fights in the UFC, and is looking to defend his title once more in September.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Standing at seven feet tall, Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the most physically imposing athletes in the world. Playing in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis is a two-time NBA MVP, and also claimed the Finals NBA in 2021 when the Bucks won their first championship in over 50 years. Since 2017, Antetokounmpo has been named in the NBA All Star squad every year- in this timeframe he’s amassed over 15 million Instagram followers.
Kamaru Usman
Widely regarded as one of the best MMA fighters of all time, Kamaru Usman reigned as the UFC Welterweight champion between 2019 and 2022 and defended his belt 5 times, including winning knockout of the year in 2021 for his finish of American megastar Jorge Masvidal. Nicknamed “The Nigerian Nightmare”, Usman was previously the number one pound-for-pound fighter on the planet and is currently ranked #1 in the 170lb division.
Anthony Joshua
Born to Nigerian parents, Anthony Joshua has always maintained a strong connection with his Yoruba roots. One of the most famous boxers on the planet, Joshua’s 2017 knockout win over Wladimir Klitschko won him his first world titles in a thrilling fight that won fight of the year in a number of publications. Despite losing his titles in 2021, Joshua remains one of the best heavyweight boxers in the world and is still in a strong position to take on Tyson Fury in what would a massive fight for the sport.
Who do you think is Nigeria’s best sportsman right now?
