Nigerian professional football players have been making significant strides in world football, donning the jerseys of some of the bigwigs in major divisions across Europe. It goes without question that, time and again, amongst the Nigerian squad making a difference in top-flight European leagues, footballers of Igbo descent are not left out.
From Kanu Nwankwo to Jay-Jay Okocha and even down to John Mikel Obi and Emmanuel Emenike, the Igbo ethnic group of Nigeria has never lacked representation in the exciting game of football.
With the 2020-22 season already underway, we take a look at the top 5 Super Eagles of Igbo extraction who have been impressing in major first-division leagues in the game.
Paul Onuachu
Described as the Nigerian goal machine by Express.co.uk, Ebere Paul Onuachu tops our list. Having played 9 matches so far this season for the Belgian Pro League side, Genk, Onuachu has already found the back of the net 10 times. He has bagged a hat-trick this season in a 3-0 thrashing of RFC Seraing on Sunday, 26th September 2021, and that makes it 6 league goals in 3 matches for Onuachu.
Although Genk failed to claim the league title after finishing second place in the log, Onuachu inspired his team to lift the Belgian Cup for the fifth time in the club’s history.
Genk made desperate efforts to secure a place in the Champions League during the Play-offs, but those efforts were clearly inadequate as they blanked out into the Europa League instead.
They began their Europa League campaign with a victory over the Austrian side, Rapid Wein. Onuachu slotted home a stoppage-time winner in the match to make it one UEL goal in as many appearances.
Despite being only 27 years of age, the former Midtjylland striker has already begun making the list of renowned pundits. He has made quite a statement as a prolific striker with his 2020-21 stats of 33 goals and 5 assists with an average of one goal after every 3.25 shots in 38 games for the Belgian side.
And with a profile as good as this, he has become one of the most monitored African footballers on the planet in the transfer market.
Genk wanted as much as €20 million if they are going to part ways with their brilliant goal scorer. West Ham, Arsenal, and Liverpool have all been reported to be interested in the Nigeria International.
Wilfred Ndidi
Reputed for his precision in winning aerial duels and making long-range strikes, Leicester City defensive midfielder, Onyinye Wilfred Ndidi, is next on our list. Due to his defensive prowess, the Nigerian has often been regarded as one of the world’s best defensive midfielders currently by pundits, fans and neutrals alike, making the list with the likes of Kante, Busquets, Casemeiro, and Declan Rice.
What makes Ndidi a natural in the game is his range of options when it comes to positions. He can fit in as a central midfielder, or even a full-back.
In the 2020-21 season, he impressed for the foxes with 5 goal involvements, a passing accuracy of 89% from
1271 completed passes and 96 successful tackles in the Premier League.
Although the 24-year-old has a contest with Leicester City until the Summer of 2024, there have been speculations of a possible move away from the King Power Stadium. His market value is €60 million.
Maduka Okoye
German-born Maduka Okoye is the only goalkeeper we have on our list. He currently played for Sparta Rotterdam in the Dutch Eredivisie. The 22-year-old has been impressive between the sticks for both club and country.
Read this – The Greatest Olympians of Igbo Extraction Ranked
With an imposing height of 6.50 feet, the goalkeeper is an impregnable mountain before opposition attackers. He made 28 league appearances concerning only 35 goals and keeping 10 clean sheets in the 2020-21 season.
Having recently switched allegiance to Nigeria, Okoye has been called up 8 times to represent his country and he has managed 4 clean sheets so far. His incredible run of form has earned him the number 1 option in goal for the national team and his club.
Simy Nwankwo
Born on the 7th of May, 1992 in Onitsha, Anambra State, Simeon Tochukwu Nwankwo, who is simply known as Simy is a central forward currently serving a season-long loan spell at Serie A side, Salernitana, from Crotone.
Although he is yet to make his mark in his new club after 4 appearances so far this season, he makes this list because of his record-breaking performance during the 2020-21 season with Crotone.
He has become the all-time leading goal scorer in the history of Crotone with 64 goals, 20 of which came last season and this stat puts him ahead of all Nigerian strikers that have played in the Serie A, including Obafemi Martins who managed 14 goals a season during his time at Milan.
Simy is the second-highest African goalscorer in a single Serie A season with his 20 goals, only behind Samuel Eto’o who registered 21 goals when he played for Inter Milan.
Kelechi Iheanacho
Fondly called “Senior Man Kelz”, the Nigerian-born striker has been nothing short of spectacular for Leicester City in recent months.
Although he has only managed two assists in seven matches for the Foxes so far this season, he had quite a season in 2020-21, which saw him clinch the Player of the Month Award in the Premier League for March, 2021, becoming only the fourth Nigerian footballer to achieve the feat, after Okocha, Odemwingie, and Ighalo.
Iheanacho wrapped up his 2020-21 season with 12 goals and 2 assists in 25 Premier League matches.
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