Most successful Nigerian players in the Premier League era

Once again, Wilfred Ngidi and Kelechi Iheanacho of Leicester City and Alex Iwobi of Everton will be hoping for big seasons with their clubs as the new Premier League season begins. 

Already fans are getting ready for the start of the new campaign and will be renewing their acquaintance with sites like bet365 review.

Iwobi and Ngidi have both enjoyed FA Cup success – Iwobi from his time at Arsenal – but all three still have some way to go before they can be considered among the most successful players to have appeared in the Premier League.

Nwankwo Kanu

Nwankwo Kanu brought a combination of skill, athleticism, and sheer unpredictability to the top flight. 

Second, in the all-time list of appearances behind Shola Ameobi and goals behind Yakubu, Kanu scored more goals (29) during his time in the EPL (29), 

Yet when he joined Arsenal from Inter Milan, there were some who doubted he would ever play top-flight football again after he was diagnosed with a  serious heart defect. He recovered and went on to win two Premier League titles and two FA Cups with the Gunners and was part of the “Invincibles” team that went through the entire 2003 – 2004 league season unbeaten.

He later played for West Bromwich Albion and Portsmouth, for whom he scored the winning goal in the 2008 FA Cup Final.

John Obi Mikel

When defensive midfielder John Obi Mikel moved to England from Norwegian side Lyn in 2006, his transfer was shrouded in controversy, with Manchester United claiming they already had a deal in place to sign him, before he eventually ended up with Chelsea and Jose Mourinho.

A subsequent legal dispute had to be resolved before he could finally make his debut for his new club, but Chelsea will be glad that they prevailed in the first place.

In eleven seasons at Stamford Bridge, he was able to make 372 appearances for the club, although he only scored six times – that was never his forte.

And he ended up with plenty of silverware as well, winning the Premier League twice, the FA Cup three times, the League Cup, Champions League, and UEFA Europa League.

For good measure, he was twice named Chelsea young player of the year.

Victor Moses

Moses first made his name as a winger with Crystal Palace and Wigan Athletic before Chelsea signed him in 2012. He struggled to get into the team at Stamford Bridge and was sent on loan to various clubs, including Liverpool, Stoke City and West Ham united. 

However, when Antonio Conte took over as manager at Chelsea, he converted him into a wing-back, and it proved to be fruitful for both player and team as he was a vital cog in the team that won the Premier League in the 2017/2018 season.

Less happily is one of a handful of players ever to have been sent off in an FA Cup final. He was given his marching orders after receiving two yellow cards against Arsenal in the 2018 final, the second for diving after trying to win his side a penalty.

He currently plays for Spartak Moscow in Russia.