Super Eagles star once tempted to play for Albania wins third trophy in Serbia

Super Eagles forward Peter Olayinka has lifted his third trophy with Red Star Belgrade after the Serbian giants secured the 2024/25 Super Liga title with a 3-1 win over OFK Belgrade on Sunday, April 6, Soccernet.ng reports.

It’s Olayinka’s second league title in Serbia and his third piece of silverware since joining Red Star on a free transfer in 2023. The Belgrade-based club’s latest triumph is their eighth consecutive league title, cementing their dominance in Serbian football.

Despite being sidelined since October 2024 due to an Achilles tendon injury, Olayinka’s early-season form was impressive.

The 29-year-old scored twice and assisted two more goals in just six league appearances, including a standout performance in a 5-1 victory over Radnicki Nis, where he contributed an assist.

Olayinka arrived in Serbia after a successful spell at Slavia Prague, where he became a fan favourite and serial trophy winner.

In his debut campaign with Red Star, he quickly established himself as a key attacking figure, finishing the 2023/24 season as joint-top scorer with 11 goals, alongside Senegal’s Chérif Ndiaye.

While Olayinka has watched much of this season from the sidelines, Red Star continued their imperious form, finishing the league campaign with an unassailable 23-point lead over fierce rivals Partizan Belgrade — with seven playoff matches still to come.

Red Star’s attacking strength in Olayinka’s absence owed much to Ndiaye, who netted 18 goals in the league — a personal best for the 29-year-old forward.

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Beyond Serbia, Olayinka has enjoyed a trophy-laden career across Europe.

He won the KTFF Süper Lig in North Cyprus with Yenicami Ağdelen in 2014, the Albanian top-flight title with Skënderbeu in 2015, and an impressive haul of six trophies (three league and three domestic cups) with Slavia Prague in the Czech Republic.

The Nigerian is one of several African players who have helped Red Star to domestic glory this season, including Ndiaye, Mouhamadou Moustapha Fall, Silas, Kangor Guélor, and Annan Ebenezer.

Internationally, Olayinka has four caps for Nigeria, having made his debut in 2019. But his international path could have looked very different.

Because of his talent, Albanian FA made numerous attempts of making Olayinka the first African player to play for Albanian national team. At that time, Olayinka himself said that he was willing to play for Albania if he got the Albanian passport.

Ultimately, he chose to represent the Super Eagles and was part of the squad at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, where Nigeria exited in the round of 16 following a defeat to Tunisia despite topping a group that included Egypt.

Olayinka’s current contract with Red Star Belgrade runs until 2026, and the Nigerian remains focused on recovery as he targets a return to action later this year.