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A photo of victor Osimhen by Liondartois –

Top 10 Most Famous Nigerian Football (Soccer) Players

Nigeria is one of the best countries in Africa that have produced prominent players who play abroad. The country’s ministry of Sports has taken seriously the field of sports into deep and positive consideration.

The country nurtures young and good talents. To be exclusive, the country has the best players of all time. This is the reason why its national team manages to play in the World Cup competition. In the article are the top ten most famous Nigerian Footballers.

1. Victor Osimhen

A photo of victor Osimhen by Liondartois –

Victor James Osimhen was born on 29 December 1998. He is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Napoli and the Nigeria national team.

Osimhen began his senior career in Germany at VfL Wolfsburg in 2017 though he was born in Nigeria. Following a season and a half at the club, he moved to Belgian side Charleroi on loan in 2018鈥�19, before moving to France at Lille.

In 2020, Osimhen transferred to Serie A club Napoli for a club-record fee of 鈧�70 million. He won the Serie A Best Young Player award in the 2021鈥�22 season. Osimhen won the Golden Boot award at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup, which Nigeria won. He made his senior international debut in June 2017 and played at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

2. Wilfred Ndidi

Wilfred Ndindi photo by 袛屑懈褌褉懈泄 袩褍泻邪谢懈泻 –

Onyinye Wilfred Ndidi was born on 16 December 1996. He is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Leicester City and the Nigeria national team.

Ndidi is known for his defensive prowess and long-range strikes. He was part of the Nigerian youth setup during his time at Nathaniel Boys of Lagos. While playing the African U-17 Championship with Nigeria, he was excluded along with two other players from the competition as a precaution, following an MRI age test that suggested he was just slightly above the threshold.

He joined up with his teammates in the U-20 team the following year, forming the bedrock of the midfield. He was called up to the senior Nigeria national football team on 8 October 2015, making his debut in the friendly game against DR Congo, and playing again a few days later in the 3鈥�0 win against Cameroon, when he replaced John Obi Mikel in the 63rd minute.

3. Kelechi Iheanacho

Kelechi Iheanacho photo by 袗薪褌芯薪 袟邪泄褑械胁 –

Kelechi Promise Iheanacho was born on 3 October 1996. He is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Leicester City and the Nigeria national team.
Iheanacho began his senior career at Manchester City during the 2015鈥�16 season. He moved to Leicester City in 2017 for a reported 拢25 million fee.

Iheanacho was part of the Nigeria squad that won the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup and the Nigeria U-20 team at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He made his senior debut for Nigeria in 2015 and played at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

4. Alex Iwobi

Alex Iwobi photo by 袗薪褌芯薪 袟邪泄褑械胁 –

Alexander Chuka Iwobi was born on 3 May 1996. He is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Everton and the Nigeria national team.

Iwobi began his career at Arsenal, making 149 appearances and scoring 15 goals, and winning the FA Cup in 2017, as well as scoring in the 2019 UEFA Europa League Final. In August 2019, he transferred to Everton for an initial 拢28 million fee.

Iwobi represented England up to the under-18 level. He made his senior international debut for Nigeria in October 2015, and was part of their squads at the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and the Africa Cup of Nations in 2019 and 2021, finishing third in the 2019 tournament.

5. Samuel Chukwueze

Samuel Chukwueze photo by 袗薪褌芯薪 袟邪泄褑械胁 –

Samuel Chimerenka Chukwueze was born on 22 May 1999. He is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays for Spanish club Villarreal and the Nigeria national team as a winger. He has been compared to Arjen Robben because of his superb skills.

After playing for Nigeria at the under-17 level, he received his first call-up to the senior team in October 2018. He made his debut for the Nigerian senior team on 20 November 2018 as a starter in a 0鈥�0 friendly draw against Uganda.

6. Victor Moses

Victor Moses photo by 袛屑懈褌褉懈泄 袩褍泻邪谢懈泻 –

Victor Moses was born on 12 December 1990. He is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a winger on either flank for the Russian club Spartak Moscow. He has also been deployed as a wing-back at times during his career.

Moses began his career in the Championship with Crystal Palace, before his performances caught the eye of Wigan Athletic, where he made his Premier League debut in 2010. After two years, his game had improved to the extent that European champions Chelsea were interested, and he signed for them in the summer of 2012.

Despite ten goals in all competitions during his first season, he spent his second season on loan to Liverpool, his third on loan at Stoke City, and his fourth on loan at West Ham United. Moses was recalled to Chelsea for the 2016鈥�17 season where he made 34 appearances as Chelsea won the Premier League.

7. Mikel John Obi

John Obi Mickel photo by 袣懈褉懈谢谢 袙械薪械写懈泻褌芯胁 –

Mikel John Obi was born on 22 April 1987. He is a Nigerian professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Mikel began his career with local club Plateau United, before joining Norwegian club Lyn at the age of 17 in 2004.

In 2006, he made a controversial transfer to English club Chelsea after Manchester United claimed they had already signed him. He stayed with Chelsea for 11 years, before moving to China with Tianjin TEDA in 2017.

After two years in China, he returned to England on a short-term deal with Middlesbrough, before joining Trabzonspor on a free transfer in July 2019. Mikel moved back to England in August 2020 joining Stoke City. In a 14-year international career between 2005 and 2019, he played 91 times for Nigeria, scoring six goals.

8. Ola Aina

Ola Aina photo by 袛屑懈褌褉懈泄 袩褍泻邪谢懈泻 –

Temitayo Olufisayo Olaoluwa Aina was born on 8 October 1996. He is a professional footballer who plays as a wing-back or right-back for Serie A club Torino, and the Nigeria national team.

Aina has represented England at under-16, under-17, under-18, under-19, and England under-20 levels. On 28 March 2017, Aina was pictured alongside Chuba Akpom of Arsenal after discussions with Nigeria Football Federation president, Amaju Pinnick.

In May 2017, Aina pledged his international future to Nigeria and obtained a Nigerian passport in preparation for making the switch from England to Nigeria. In the same month, he was called up for the first time to play for Nigeria.

9. Semi Ajayi

Semi Ajayi photo by Kieran Clarke –

Oluwasemilogo Adesewo Ibidapo “Semi” Ajayi was born on 9 November 1993. He is a professional footballer who plays as a defender or defensive midfielder for the EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion and the Nigeria national football team.

At the end of May 2013, Ajayi was called up to the Nigeria U20 squad for their 2013 Toulon Tournament matches. Ajayi received his first call-up to the senior team in August 2018 for the 2019 African Cup of Nations Qualifiers, he described it as a “dream” call-up.

He made his debut against Seychelles in the 2019 Nation cup qualifiers, coming on for the injured Chidozie Awaziem in the 73rd minute.

10. Joe Aribo

Joe Aribo photo by Jim Easton –

Joseph Oluwaseyi Temitope Ayodele-Aribo was born on 21 July 1996. He is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Southampton and the Nigeria national team.

He began his club career at Staines Town and then spent four years with Charlton Athletic in the English Football League. In 2019 he signed for Rangers, where he won the Scottish Premiership in 2021 and the Scottish Cup a year later.

Born and raised in London, Aribo plays for the Nigeria national team, being eligible due to his heritage. He gained his first cap in 2019 and was part of their squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.