Done deal: Super Eagles star becomes fourth Nigerian international to join Sochaux

The French lower league campaigners have added a defensive reinforcement ahead of the 2022-23 season

Super Eagles defender Valentine Ozornwafor has completed a year-long loan move from Royal Sporting Charleroi to French club FC Sochaux-Montbéliard after passing a medical.

Announcing the capture of the Nigerian international with a statement on their official website, Sochaux confirmed that they retain the option to buy Ozornwafor after his temporary spell.

With the move, the former Enyimba centre-back becomes the fourth Nigerian international to sign for the Yellow and Blues. Ozornwafor follows in the footsteps of compatriots Wilson Oruma, Brown Ideye, and 2007 Coupe de France winner Rabiu Afolabi.

Ozornwafor’s European sojourn

Sochaux are the fourth European team that Valentine Ozornwafor will play for since leaving Enyimba FC in 2019.

Born on June 1, 1999, in Nsukka, Ozornwafor arrived at Galatasaray from the Aba Elephants, having excelled with the Flying Eagles at the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations.

After finding it difficult to nail a first-team shirt with the Turkish giants, Ozornwafor was loaned to Almeria in the Spanish Segunda Division for the second half of the 2019-20 campaign.

As a tall, left-legged centre-back, Ozornwafor caught the eye of former Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr, who subsequently invited the youngster to the national team setup. He made his Super Eagles debut in the friendly against Cameroon in June last year.

He joined the Royal Sporting Charleroi a few weeks later on loan for the 2021/2022 season.

The 23-year-old excelled in the Belgian top flight, inspiring the Zèbres to exercise the purchase option they had at the end of the season.

Ozornwafor will look to help Sochaux regain their Ligue 1 status, with the Lion Cubs struggling in the second-tier of French football since suffering relegation in 2014.