Fulham's Alex Iwobi and Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen with the Nigeria Super Eagles. Photo by IMAGO
Several players of Nigerian descent have been ranked among Europe’s top players based on one key metric — key passes, Soccernet.ng reports.
However, only two Super Eagles stars, Alex Iwobi and Moses Simon, make the top 50 for most key passes in the 2024-25 season so far, according to Eurofootball Rumours.
Iwobi stands out as Nigeria’s most creative force in the final third, registering 46 key passes in 25 Premier League games for Fulham.
His vision has resulted in 43 chances created and three assists, while also contributing seven goals.
The midfielder has taken 37 shots and recorded 90 touches in the opposition’s box, underlining his attacking influence. Despite his strong numbers, the former Arsenal man ranks 17th overall in Europe’s key pass rankings.
Last season, Iwobi played 30 league games for Fulham, scoring five goals and assisting twice.
Moses Simon, the only other Super Eagles player on the list, sits at number 39 with 40 key passes in 20 Ligue 1 games for Nantes.
Unlike Iwobi, Simon’s creativity has directly led to more goals, as he currently tops the French league’s assist charts with seven assists, alongside his five goals this season.
Interestingly, only players from Europe’s top five leagues — England, Spain, France, Italy, and Germany — were considered in the rankings.
This omission rules out Victor Osimhen, who has been exceptional in Turkey for Galatasaray, scoring 14 goals and providing four assists in 18 league matches while on loan from Napoli.
Another surprising exclusion is Ademola Lookman, despite his impressive 10 goals and five assists in 19 Serie A appearances for Atalanta. Instead, Genoa’s Aarón Martín (47 key passes) and Como’s Gabriel Strefezza (42 key passes) lead the Serie A rankings.
At the summit of Europe’s key pass kings is Barcelona’s Raphinha, who leads with 69 key passes, followed closely by Villarreal’s Álex Baena (68), Reims’ Junya Ito (67), and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer (66).
Tottenham’s Dejan Kulusevski (60), Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich (57), Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (54), Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes (53), Bayer Leverkusen’s Álex Grimaldo (51), and Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Kevin Stöger (51) round out the top ten.
Beyond Iwobi and Simon, several players of Nigerian descent appear in the rankings but represent other nations.
Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace) and Michael Olise (Bayern Munich) each recorded 45 key passes, sitting just behind Iwobi at joint 18th. Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, with 42 key passes, is placed 32nd overall.
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