Nigeria has produced some seriously talented football players throughout history, and this trend has continued over time. With that said, some of Nigeria’s greatest players rarely stay home to compete in Nigeria.
In fact, they tend to follow the footsteps of stars before them and take their skills to some of Europe’s top football leagues.
You can even bet on many of these players at African sports betting sites, and of course, you can catch them on TV too – playing for some of the best clubs in Europe.
In this quick piece, we’d like to highlight Nigeria’s Top five players that currently play in Europe, so do read on for full details.
Alex Iwobi
First up on this list, we have Alex Iwobi. One of the top Nigerian talents currently playing at Everton in the Premier League.
He moved to Everton after enjoying several successful years at Arsenal, and his speed down the wing has become the stuff of legend in England’s top-flight division.
Besides his speed, Iwobi is pretty dangerous in front of goal too, but not as you might think. Rather than being a finisher alone, he creates fantastic opportunities for others through quick thinking and skill – making him a nightmare for many of Europe’s top goalkeepers.
And apart from his club performances, Iwobi has represented Nigeria on many occasions, despite being just 24 years of age.
He has more than 40 caps for the national squad, and he has scored 9 goals. Then again, would you expect anything else from a man who is related to the legendary Jay-Jay Okocha?
Semi Ajayi
While Iwobi, mentioned above, is exceptional on the wings, Ajayi excels in an entirely different position on the pitch – as a central defender.
His size and stature have really served him well in the Premier League, and he currently plays as a starter for West Brom, a club that is performing surprisingly well lately.
If we were going to make the connection, we’d say that Ajayi has had a great deal to do with this, especially when you look at how strong this team has been defensively.
And much like many of the other guys mentioned here, Ajayi has also stepped up to play for the Nigerian national team – first putting on his Nigerian shirt in 2018.
Thanks to the good form, he even represented his home country in the African Cup of Nations, something he claims he had dreamed about since he was a little boy!
Zaidu Sanusi
At just 23 years of age, Sanusi is one of the most exciting young prospects that Nigerian football has these days.
Unlike the previous two players, Sanusi actually plays in Portugal for the legendary team of FC Porto.
During his relatively short time at the club to date, he has already managed to win the Portuguese Super Cup, putting his defensive skills to great use along the way.
The great thing about Sanusi is that he is pretty new on the radar as one of the top Nigerian players in Europe right now, and he only made it into the Nigerian national squad around 6 months ago.
With that said, we are super excited to see where this young man’s career goes, and we have a feeling it is going in the right direction.
Wilfred Ndidi
Coming back to the Premier League now, Wilfred Ndidi is one of the top Nigerian players in the middle of the park.
During his time at Leicester City, Ndidi has developed quite the reputation for his incredible power when shooting from long range, not to mention his strength and ability to hold up the ball when under considerable pressure.
While he has been part of the Leicester City team since 2017, he has been part of the Nigerian national team since 2015, which is fairly impressive considering he is still just 24 years of age.
Victor Osimhen
Last but by no means least, Victor Osimhen is another Nigerian superstar on the soccer pitch. As it happens, Osimhen has taken quite the tour of Europe during his short career. He has played in Germany, France, and now his current location, Italy.
He is one of the top picks for the Serie A side, Napoli, but has been below-par in front of goal ever since he joined in 2020.
Then again, since he landed at the Italian team for a price tag of around €70 million, you’d think that they want a bit of value for their investment!
