Two Nigerian stars have emerged among the Bundesliga’s best dribblers after 25 rounds of the 2024-25 season, Soccernet.ng reports.
St. Pauli’s Oladapo Afolayan and Bayer Leverkusen’s Nathan Tella have made the top 50 dribblers list, joining elite names like Florian Wirtz, Harry Kane, and Jamal Musiala, according to Euro Football Rumours.
St. Pauli winger Afolayan ranks sixth in the league with 43 successful dribbles, cementing his place among the division’s most elusive players.
Promotion to the Bundesliga is another milestone in Dapo Afolayan's career:
— SCOUTED (@scoutedftbl) May 12, 2024
— Started in the Chelsea academy
— Studied in Canada and England unis
— Non-league form lead to West Ham move
— EFL standout before signing for St. Pauli
Every player has their own unique journey. pic.twitter.com/jO5cjkXRKz
The 27-year-old is outperformed only by Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz (73 dribbles), Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (73), Bayern Munich duo Jamal Musiala (62) and Michael Olise (51), and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Omar Marmoush (46), who joined Manchester City in the winter transfer window.
Interestingly, both Musiala and Olise have Nigerian heritage but opted to represent Germany and France at the international level.
Afolayan’s rise in Germany
Afolayan, who was Bolton Wanderers' Player of the Season in 2021-22, joined St. Pauli in 2023 and played a key role in their Bundesliga 2 title-winning campaign.
While eligible for England, he has pledged his international future to Nigeria and is still awaiting his first Super Eagles call-up.
Welcome to TaP23, Dapo Afolayan!@dapo_afolayan played a starring role in St Pauli’s promotion to the Bundesliga this season, scoring in double figures from the wing. From non-league football in England to the Bundesliga, Dapo’s story is a tribute to his talent and dedication⚽ pic.twitter.com/XQfhxya2nl
— TaP23 (@_tap23) June 17, 2024
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Nigeria's Tella joins the list, but injury strikes
Bayer Leverkusen’s Nathan Tella is the only current Super Eagles player on the Bundesliga's top-50 dribblers list, ranking joint-42nd with 18 successful dribbles, alongside club teammate Jeremie Frimpong.
Tella's dribbling tally is just two fewer than Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane (20), four behind RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons (22), and five short of Bayern’s Leroy Sané (23).
However, the 24-year-old will be unable to add to his numbers after suffering an injury that rules him out of Leverkusen’s clash with Stuttgart on Sunday.
Camp Update: Joshua Torunarigha has been called to replace injured Nathan Tella. We wish Nathan quick recovery #soarsupereagles pic.twitter.com/h5iaesFFxk
— Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) March 13, 2025
The setback has also forced him to withdraw from Nigeria’s squad for this month’s World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, with Gent defender Jordan Torunarigha called up as his replacement.
The Super Eagles face Rwanda in Kigali on March 21 before hosting Zimbabwe in Uyo four days later as they continue their push for a 2026 FIFA World Cup spot.
More Nigerian heritage among Bundesliga’s top dribblers
Beyond Tella, Afolayan, Olise and Musiala, several other players with Nigerian roots appear on the Bundesliga dribbling charts.
RB Leipzig’s Antonio Nusa, who has a Nigerian father but represents Norway, is ninth with 37 successful dribbles.
Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi, who plays for Germany, ranks 18th with 27 dribbles.
