Nigerian footballers in Europe

African footballers. Nigeria is no stranger when it comes to producing exceptional talent on the football pitch. From the English Premier League to La Liga, Nigerian footballers are making their mark on the international stage. Here are 5 Nigerian Footballers of Nigerian decent making waves in Europe:

Taiwo Awoniyi

Taiwo Micheal Awoniyi (born 12 August 1997) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Nottingham Forest and the Nigeria national team.

On 25 June 2022, Awoniyi completed a move to Premier League side Nottingham Forest on a five-year deal. The transfer fee paid was a club record for Forest, reportedly £17 million. On 14 August 2022, he scored his first Premier League goal in a 1–0 win against West Ham United. On 22 October 2022, he scored the winning goal in a 1–0 home win against former club Liverpool. Towards the end of the season he scored six goals in four games, including the winner in a 1–0 home victory over Arsenal on 20 May 2023 that preserved the club’s Premier League status.

Terem Moffi

Teremas “Terem” Igobor Moffi (born 25 May 1999) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Nice and the Nigeria national team.

On 1 October 2020, Moffi joined Ligue 1 side Lorient on a permanent deal. On 14 May 2021, Nigeria head coach Gernot Rohr included Moffi in his 31-man list for friendlies in June. Moffi debuted with the Super Eagles in a 1–0 loss to Cameroon on 4 June 2021. He signed on loan from 31 January 2023, until the end of the season with an obligation-to-buy for EUR 30 million and a 15% sell-on clause in favour of Lorient.

Wilfred Ndidi

Onyinye Wilfred Ndidi (born 16 December 1996) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for EFL Championship club Leicester City and the Nigeria national team. Ndidi is known for his defensive prowess.

In May 2018 he was named in Nigeria’s preliminary 30-man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He was included in the African Cup of Nations 2019 squad and played in Nigeria’s first match against Burundi. On 25 December 2021, Ndidi was selected in Nigeria’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations 28-man squad by Nigeria’s caretaker coach Austin Eguavoen. On January 22, 2022, after the Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2021 Group Stage, Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) shortlisted Ndidi in the group stage’s best team as a substitute alongside Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

Samuel Chukwueze

Samuel Chimerenka Chukwueze (born 22 May 1999) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Serie A club AC Milan and the Nigeria national team.

On 12 April 2022, in the second leg of the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League quarter-final away to Bayern Munich, Chukwueze scored the equaliser in the 88th minute, helping Villarreal progress to the semi-finals of the tournament. On 8 April 2023, Chukwueze scored a brace and recorded an assist against Real Madrid in a 3–2 away victory. On 27 July 2023, Serie A club AC Milan announced the signing of Chukwueze, on a contract until 30 June 2028.

Victor Osimhen

Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen was born in Olusosun Lagos, Nigeria on the 29th of December in 1998. He is the last of his parents 6 children.

Osimhen began his senior career in Germany at VfL Wolfsburg in 2017. Following a season and a half at the club, he moved to Belgian side Charleroi on loan in 2018–19, before moving to France at Lille. In 2020 Osimhen transferred to Serie A club Napoli for a club-record fee of €70 million. We wrote about this move here: Victor Osimhen, Africa’s most expensive player – biography, family, football career, siblings, relationship.