Onuachu, Yusuf and how Nigerians fared in the Belgian league’s regular season

Alhassan Yusuf, Valentine Ozornwafor and Paul Onuachu were some of the Nigerian stars in the Belgian Jupiler League.

The Belgian Jupiler League regular season came to a halt on Sunday after 34 rounds of matches, with Royal Union SG securing their spot at the summit.

Belgium has played host to many Nigerians in the past, some of whom made their marks in Europe. Stephen Keshi, Victor Ikpeba, Sunday Oliseh, and Celestine Babayaro are some of the top stars that headline the list.

Many Nigerians are still involved in the league, with some playing integral roles in their teams.

Soccernet gives an update on these Nigerians and how they finished with their clubs in the outgoing season.

Paul Onuachu 

The Nigerian talisman was the highest goalscorer in Belgium two seasons ago with 33 goals. But he failed to hit those heights, as he finished with a brilliant 19 goals and three assists in 29 appearances. The 27-year-old missed five games because of injury.

Onuachu was outstanding for Genk, but it was still a poor season for the Smurfs. Genk finished fourth two seasons ago and won the Beker Van Belgie. But last season, they were knocked out of the Belgian Cup and finished eighth on the Jupiler League log. They qualified for the Conference League playoff by goals difference.

 

Adewale Oladoye

It was a breakout season for Oladoye. The 20-year-old signed for Gent in March last year, but he was put in the youth team.

It was a disappointing finish for the Belgian giants, as they ended in fifth, one point away from the Championship playoffs.

The former Flying Eagles star made his debut for the Buffaloes in a 2-2 draw against Sint-Truiden. He went on to make two more appearances for Gent.

Junior Pius

It was a disappointing campaign for the Nigerian defender and his Sint-Truiden side. The 26-year-old center-back had ten appearances for the Canaries.

Sint-Truiden narrowly missed out on the Europa Conference League playoff, as they finished ninth, behind Genk on goal difference.

Pius could have established himself as a regular, but Sint-Truiden suspended him in January after confronting fans who trolled him because of his side’s loss of form.

His ban was lifted in February, but he didn’t make any appearances since then. The Antwerp loanee missed nine straight games.

Alhassan Yusuf 

The former Goteborg midfielder was impressive in Royal Antwerp’s midfield this season and helped the team to a 4th place finish, enough to get them featuring in the Champions’ Playoff.

Yusuf played next to experienced Roma midfielder Radja Naingollan and his industry stood out. Energetic and rugged, the midfielder helped with three goals and one assist playing from the midfield.

He was arguably the best Nigerian player in the league in the concluded regular season.

 

Valentine Ozornwafor 

Ozornwafor and his Chaleroi side had a brilliant campaign. They improved on their campaign of two seasons ago when they finished 13th. Charleroi finished sixth on the table and would play in the Europa League playoffs.

For Ozornwafor, it was a brilliant campaign. The Galatasaray loanee missed the first half of the season because of injury, but he picked himself up and became an integral piece in the Charleroi defense.

The 22-year-old made 13 appearances for Charleroi.