The 2024/25 season across Europe’s top leagues has been rapidly progressing, with many competitions already a quarter or more of the way through.
As title races, battles for European places and fights to avoid the relegation zone take shape, standout individual performances and players have also begun
to emerge.
This presents the perfect opportunity to highlight some of the brightest Nigerian talents making an impact in Europe’s top five leagues. We take a closer look at what the best rated Nigerian XI in Europe is so far this season, according to WhoScored’s ratings.
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GK – Maduka Okoye
Okoye has been a strong performer for Udinese at the beginning of the 2024/25 Serie A season, helping the side to sit eighth in the league. The goalkeeper has made 37 saves in his 11 Serie A matches, ranking him in the top six per cent, while also preventing a massive 2.17 goals in that time, among the top nine per cent of goalkeepers.
RB – Bright Osayi-Samuel
The full-back has admittedly been in and out of the Fenerbahce side this season, but he has still impressed when on the pitch for the Turkish side, gaining a 6.74 rating in his four Turkish Super Lig outings.
CB – Calvin Bassey
Alongside Alex Iwobi, Bassey also makes the best-rated Nigerian side having enjoyed a stellar start to the campaign at Fulham, helping them to impressively lose just three of their opening league matches.
CB – Caleb Okoli
Okoli has been largely impressive in his opening matches in England, all while playing for a struggling Leicester City. The central defender has played seven matches in the league, putting up 2.4 tackles, 4.1 ball recoveries and 6.4 clearances per game, earning him a solid 6.70 rating.
LB – Ola Aina
Aina has been a key part in Nottingham Forest’s astonishing start to this season, with his team currently sitting third in the league with 19 points from 10 matches, with five wins, four draws and just one defeat. The full-back has been a key part of that team, playing all 10 matches, scoring once and delivering a number of stunning defensive performances, earning him a 6.96 rating.
CM – Frank Onyeka
Since joining from Brentford on-loan in the summer, Onyeka has impressed for Bundesliga outfit FC Augsburg. He has one man-of-the-match award for the struggling German team and has also chipped in with an assist from his seven matches.
CM – Wilfried Ndidi
Despite playing for a struggling Leicester City side, Ndidi has been a shining light for the Foxes in the middle of the park, including fantastically recording four assists in his 10 league games. He also has superb defensive numbers, 3.4 tackles per 90, 5.00 ball recoveries per 90 and 2.7 clearances per 90, helping him to a 7.02 rating.
CM – Alex Iwobi
Iwobi and Fulham have made an incredibly strong start to the 2024/25 season, sitting ninth in the table with the midfielder playing all 10 matches. He has scored twice and assisted once from his midfield role, while being an instrumental part in buildup play and defensively for the side, earning him a 7.04.
RW – Moses Simon
Simon looks back to his best for Nantes at this early stage of the campaign after having his worst season for the Ligue 1 side in 2023/24. Simon has already scored two and assisted three in nine Ligue 1 games, which is especially impressive given Nantes sit 14th and level on points with Saint-Etienne in the relegation zone, earning him a 7.23 rating.
ST – Victor Osimhen
The second highest-rated player in this side, Osimhen has been given a 7.77 rating for his first five appearances in the Turkish Super Lig this season, thanks to scoring four and assisting two for Galatasaray.
LW – Ademola Lookman
The highest-rated in this side, Lookman has been superb at the beginning of the 2024/25 season, once again proving that he is one of the best players in Europe at this moment in time. He has scored six and assisted four in eight Serie A matches, as well as scoring one and assisting one in three Champions League outings, helping him to a 7.79 rating.
1 Comment
by Moses
Perfect