Gabriel Osho has become the first Nigerian player to feature for AJ Auxerre in the French Ligue 1 following in the footsteps of legendary defender Taribo West, Soccernet.ng reports.
Osho joined Auxerre this summer on a free transfer after leaving Luton Town who he helped gain promotion to the Premier League before they were relegated at the end of last season.
The 26-year-old centre-back was named in Auxerre’s starting eleven in their first match of the league season to face OGC Nice.
Nice were missing the services of Terem Moffi who suffered a knee injury during preseason but the club included Nigerian youngster Victor Orakpo on the substitute bench.
The moment Osho stepped onto the pitch of the Stade de l’Abbe-Deschamps, he joined Taribo West as the only Nigerian players in Auxerre history.
While West helped Auxerre keep a clean sheet on his debut in a goalless draw with Toulouse, Osho had it one better as AJA secured a fine 2-1 win over OGC Nice.
Osho, however, has a long way to go to repeat West’s impact at Auxerre.
One of the best defenders in the club’s history, West played a crucial role as Auxerre won their first-ever league title during the 1995–96 season.
Alongside great players like Laurent Blanc and Sabri Lamouchi, West also won the national cup with Auxerre thus collecting the double.
Auxerre featured in the UEFA Champions League the following season, where West made seven appearances before the club suffered elimination in the quarter-finals by the eventual champions Borussia Dortmund.
West left Auxerre to join Inter Milan in a £10.2 million deal that made him the most expensive Nigerian defender in history.
The record stood for 25 years before it was broken when Ajax paid Rangers €26.5 million (including performance-related add-ons) to sign Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey.