The English Premier League has witnessed some of the greatest Nigerian football talents to ever grace the league, with their goals, skills, dribbles and their all-round play. As such who can forget so quickly the skill and flair of Jay-Jay Okocha, the solid defense of Joseph Yobo, the stunning goals of Yakubu Ayegbeni, the midfield displays of Jon Obi Mikel and the absolute genius of Nwankwo Kanu?
However, there are still some Nigerian players that are currently plying their trade in the Premier League, though the global pandemic has really denied us in watching them play as of late, then it won’t be out of place if we go down memory lane to look at some of the Nigerian players that have played and still playing in the Premier League.
So today, Cheapgoals will be taking a look at top Nigerian player in the Premier League: past and present
Obafemi Martins – Newcastle United
Newcastle secured the services of Obagoal in 2006 for a reported deal worth to be around €15 million, the former Eagles forward penned a five year deal with the Tyneside and was unveiled in front of the Toon Army before their UEFA Cup match against FK Ventspils and he was handed the number 9 jersey of the legend and highest goal scorer of the team Alan Shearer.
The former Inter Milan forward debut was marred with a knee injury in their defeat to Aston Villa, where he was stretched off with a dead leg and internal bleeding in his leg, following his return to action from the injury he scored his first goal for the team against the ‘Hammers’ West Ham United at the Upton Park, and from that particular match Martins scoring form began to improve.
One unique thing about the Nigerian was the goal he scored against Tottenham Hotspur, where he scored a 20-yard screamer and it was clocked by Sky Sports at a speed of 84mph (135 km/h), making it the unofficially 9th hardest shot ever recorded in football according to The Guardian, and during his three-year stint with Newcastle, Martins scored over 35 goals in all competitions with 104 games to his name.
Nwankwo Kanu – Arsenal
Kanu career was revived in Arsenal when he joined from Inter Milan after just 12 games and 1 goal for the Nerazzurri, he joined the Gunners for a fee of around £4.15 million and he made his debut against Sheffield United in the FA Cup which he assisted a goal for Marc Overmars. The match was replayed due to Wenger’s statement on the sportsmanship of Kanu and they also went ahead to win the replay.
After his debut, he became known for his goalscoring prowess coming from the bench to score goals which he also showed against Sheffield Wednesday, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa having scored his first goal for the Gunners against Derby County, and he will be well remembered for the magical goals he scored against Chelsea in the FA Cup.
Papillo, as he is usually called, won the 2003 FA Cup final with the Wenger led side, alongside other Arsenal great players such as Henry and Pires, he was also a member of the ‘Invincible Arsenal Team’ that finished and won the league undefeated in 2003-04 season, and he played over 197 games scoring 44 goals before he left Arsenal.
Celestine Babayaro – Chelsea
Babayaro is another Nigeria football stars that had a wonderful career in the Premier League, he was signed by Chelsea in 1997 for a transfer fee of £2.25 million, made his debut in the UEFA Winner’s Cup against Slovan Bratislava, after his debut, Babayaro sustained an injury against London rival Tottenham Hotspur which ruled him out for the rest of the season.
The injury kept him away from being part of the team that won the Football League Cup and UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup in 1998, he returned back to full fitness to win the UEFA Super Cup, the FA Cup, and the Charity Cup in 2000, he also played in FA Cup final in 2002, Babayaro was so good that he was very instrumental for the Blues in their memorable run in the Champions League against the Catalan side Barcelona which they lost in extra time in the quarter-finals.
Babayaro was quite loved by the Blues fans and did manage to play over 200 games for the London side, and he was well known for his acrobatic celebration when he scores, the former Super Eagles will be remembered for his exploits with the London based side. However, Babayaro did had a stint with Newcastle United before leaving for the MLS club LA Galaxy.
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Yakubu Aiyegbeni – Portsmouth
Yakubu came into English football through a loan move from his Israeli club Maccabi Haifa, his performance was so good that he impressed Harry Redknapp to sign him permanently, he won the 2002-03 First Division title scoring at a ratio of 1 goal every two games and went on scoring goals aplenty for the Redknapp led the side against Derby County and Millwall to mention few.
Redknapp’s faith in signing Yakubu permanently yielded a lot of positives, as he went on to score 16 goals in 37 matches and that feat made him the clubs leading goalscorer and the joint 6th-highest scorer in the entire league then, in his subsequent season with Portsmouth he also scored a lot of goals in the EPL, scoring 28 Premier League goals which made him Portsmouth highest ever scorer with 9 more than second-highest Benjani Mwaruwari.
Former Nigeria forward also had a stint with some other Premier League clubs, among them is Middlesbrough which he joined from Portsmouth and was very instrumental in Boro’s quest in reaching the UEFA Cup final in 2006, Everton was also one of the finest team he played for joining from Middlesbrough for a fee of £11.25 million, Yakubu made his presence felt by helping the Toffees to finished 5th in the league and a place in the 2008-09 UEFA Cup competition, before settling for Leicester and Blackburn Rovers in his later days.
Jay Jay Okocha – Bolton Wanderers
Okocha may not have played for the big clubs in the Premier League, but his stint with Bolton Wanderers came with a lot of memories, he joined Sam Allardyce led side on a free transfer from Paris Saint Germain after 2002 World Cup, he went on to be the fans favorite in the club with his mesmerizing dribbles, mouthwatering freekicks, and he steered the team away from the relegation with his goals critically the one he scored against West Ham.
The former Super Eagles midfield maestro exploits continued with Bolton when he was named the captain of the team after the retirement of the team captain, and as a captain, he led Bolton to their first Cup final in 9 years where they finished runners up in the 2004 Football League Cup to Middlesbrough.
Okocha also had a stint with Hull City, after just one season with the Qatari side he signed for when he left Bolton, constant loss of form and injuries played a major role in affecting game time in Hull City, as he couldn’t help them navigate through their promotion campaign into the topflight, however despite the injury setback he was able to play over 18 games for Hull, and after The Tigers eventually got promoted into the topflight he was released by the club.
Joseph Yobo – Everton
Yobo was the first signing of David Moyes after his dispute with Marseille was settled and he was signed permanently by the Scottish gaffer, he went on to become one of the most consistent players in the Everton team, and was one of the seven players in the entire league to play every minute of every game throughout the 2006-07 season.
The former Super Eagles defender was also the team record holder for matches played for overseas players in the team, a record he held until 2012, and during his stint with the Toffees he went on to captain the team as the first African to ever captained the team.
No doubt, Yobo will be remembered for his exploits with the Toffees and critically he will be mentioned as one of the finest and famous Nigerian football stars to ever graced the English Premier League with his defensive play for Everton.
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Mikel Obi – Chelsea
Mikel joined Chelsea following a long transfer tussle with Manchester United when he was signed from his parent club in Lyn Oslo, Mikel made his debut for Chelsea in the Champions League against Bulgarian club Levski Sofia, a match he showed he has something up his sleeves to offer.
The midfield anchor was so good that he played under every manager that managed the Blues, and critically under the tutelage of Jose Mourinho he won everything with Chelsea both the league and the FA Cup, even after Mourinho left the club, he still kept his place in the team.
Mikel was also part of the team that won the Champions League for Chelsea and throughout his stint with the West London outfit, he made over 249 matches for Chelsea with just 1 goal to his name which is synonymous with a defensive midfielder as they are known for not scoring many goals, more so Mikel name will go down in history as one of Chelsea best player ever to play for them.
Victor Moses – Chelsea
Moses began his career with Crystal Palace in the Championship, and thereafter his impressive performance caught the eyes of Wigan where he made his Premier League debut, he was so good that Chelsea was interested in signing him due to his brilliant performance for Wigan Athletic, in the end, he signed for the Blues in the Summer of 2012.
The former Wigan forward scored 10 goals in all competitions during his first season, but he couldn’t lay claim to the starting eleven due to the arrears of stars in the Chelsea team and he was eventually loaned to Liverpool.
After his loan deal expired with the Anfield based side, he returned to Chelsea and he was also loaned back to Stoke City which was his third loan move, thereafter he also spent time with West Ham United which was also his fourth loan move, but then he did had a wonderful spell under Antonio Conte who sees him as one of his important players in the Chelsea team.
Ahmed Musa – Leicester City
The Super Eagles forward made a record move to Leicester in 2016 with a fee worth £16.6 million, and he scored his first goal for the Foxes in the 2016 International Champions Cup which ended in a 4-2 loss, but his official match goal came against Crystal Palace.
Although Musa’s spell with Leicester City didn’t really yield the desired results, as many would have thought which led to him going on loan to CSK Moscow where he was signed from in the first place and he did shine like a million stars.
Musa may not have had a stellar performance with Leicester when he joined, but then he will surely be remembered as one of the famous Nigerian players ever to play in the English Premier League.
Odion Ighalo – Watford
Ighalo is one of the leading Nigerian football stars to have played and still playing in the Premier League, the Super Eagles forward did had a brilliant spell with the Hornets making a deadly partnership with the team captain Troy Deeney before he sealed a move down to China.
The former Watford forward is currently enjoying a loan spell with arguably the biggest club in the land Manchester United, over the past now has returned to the Premier League from a playing spell in China, he has lived up to expectations despite a lot of criticism from the fans to why United had to sign him on loan.
Meanwhile, if he continues with the kind of form he has shown so far with the Devils, he could be offered a permanent deal and perhaps went on to achieve greater things with them if the league finally returns back to normalcy which has been on suspension since the coronavirus pandemic hit the world.
Wilfred Ndidi – Leicester City
The Leicester City midfielder has become one of the key players for the Foxes since he arrived from Genk in 2016, and since then he has become a mainstay in the defensive midfield role for Leicester.
Ndidi was so vital to the team that his absence was felt when he got injured in the 2019-20 campaign, which has shown in ramifications that his worth more like a diamond in the team.
Just 23 years of age, no doubt Ndidi still has more in his tank to deliver for Leicester and perhaps any club lucky enough to price him away from the King Power Stadium in the future, but for now, the Foxes are still very much enjoying the combativeness of Ndidi.
Kelechi Iheanacho – Leicester City
Another prominent Nigerian international playing at the King Power Stadium is Ihaeanacho, the Nigerian forward did not get much opportunity while at Manchester City, but was loaned to Leicester City to get more playing time but then nothing changed for him as things look more like from fry pan to pot.
Meanwhile, since Verdy got injured, he has been able to play sparingly for Brenda Rogers’s side and he has been able to justify the chances given to you him by scoring some important goals in the league and in the cup competition. With just 23 years of age, he still has plenty of time to fulfill his dream in the Premier League if he could be consistent enough and perhaps stay out of injuries.
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Alex Iwobi – Everton
Iwobi is also another Nigerian plying his trade in the EPL with Everton, Iwobi who joined the Toffees last summer will also hope to achieve great things just like other Nigerian players achieved in the Premier League with their respective clubs.
Iwobi already has a decent history in the English league, his tricky pace could see him become one of the finest and a favorite player at the Goodison Park in the future to join the likes of Yobo and Yakubu who also had a brilliant spell with the Toffees.
John Utaka – Portsmouth
No doubt Utaka is definitely one of the famous Nigerian players ever to play in the English Premier League, the former Super Eagles forward joined Portsmouth in 2007 on a four-year deal worth around £7 million, which was reported to be the club-record signing as at then.
Utaka was instrumental in Portsmouth’s FA Cup triumph against Cardiff City, providing an assist for his compatriot Kanu who scored the winning goal that got them their first FA Cup trophy, after his triumphant season with Pompey, he did struggle the following season to replicate the kind of form he showed in the season they won the FA Cup.
The tail end of his spell with Portsmouth was filled with talking points in the light of Portsmouth’s financial crisis, with the news agencies reporting an alleged astronomical weekly salary being paid to him, and they see that as a reflection of their financial mismanagement. In all of that, he hit out at the reports and claimed he only earned little out of the astronomical salary reported by the agencies, however, Utaka will remember for his impressive performance in Portsmouth’s journey to win the FA Cup.
Danny Shittu – Queen Park Rangers
Shittu is definitely one of the finest Nigerian defenders in the English Premier League then, he played over 346 games in the Premier League and Football League combined having played for the likes of Watford, Bolton, and Millwall.
Moreso, the former Super Eagles defender was well known for playing with Queen Park Rangers, even though he played for a different club side in the Premier League and the Football League, but he did play his best and finest football with QPR playing over 190 matches for them after having him permanently for £350,000 in the team following his impressive performance when he first joined on loan.
In the summer transfer window of 2006, Shittu joined Premier League side West Bromwich for £1.3 million following his mouthwatering performance for QPR, despite his tour in English football, it’s can be said categorically that he had a great stint with Queen Park Rangers.
Dickson Etuhu – Fulham
Etuhu is another famous Nigerian player that journeyed through a lot of clubs in England, playing for Manchester City, Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers to name few, although he had over 134 appearances for Preston North End from 2002-06 season.
The former Nigerian midfielder didn’t get popular until he joined Fulham, he joined The Cottagers in 2008 for a reported fee around £1.5 million on a three-year contract, and he scored his first goal against his former club Manchester City.
After spending over five years with the Craven Cottage side, in 2012 Etuhu left Fulham for Blackburn Rovers where he also had some decent spell, but then many Nigerian who saw him will often remember him to have donned the Fulham jersey despite playing for over five different club side in England.
Osaze Odemwingie – West Bromwich Albion
Osaze churned out a lot of impressive performances for Lokomotive Moscow in the Russian League before he sealed a move West Bromwich in 2010, shortly after signing The Baggies photograph showed the fans of Moscow celebrating the sales of Osaze through the use of racist banners targeted at him, another banner also included the image of a banana which specified that “Thanks West Bromwich“.
During his debut against Sunderland, where he churned like a million stars, which led to the fans returning the favor to the Lokomotive fans with the counter racist banner which also read ‘Thanks Lokomotive” accompanied by the picture of Osaze celebrating his winner on his debut.
The former Nigerian forward played over 87 games for West Bromwich from 2010-13, after he left the Albion side he also had a stint with various other club sides in England such as Stoke City and Cardiff City.
Victor Anichebe – Everton
Anichebe made his senior debut for Everton in 2006, as a substitute in the 89th minute against Chelsea in the FA Cup fourth-round tie, though he had already made his reserve debut at the age of 15, thereafter he signed his first professional contract with the Toffees for a two years deal.
As time progresses, his contract was extended by four years as Everton qualified for the UEFA Cup, he did impress the Toffees fans with his scoring prowess in the UEFA Cup scoring consistently against Metalist Kharkiv, AE Larissa, FC Nurnberg, and Brann as a substitute and he was voted by the Everton fans as their young player of the year for his brilliant performance.
He did have a relatively decent stint with Everton over the course of his stay with over 131 games and 18 goals to his name in all competitions, also had a short spell with West Bromwich and Sunderland, but then the finest and impressive time in his club career was definitely with Everton.
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Seyi Olofinjana – Wolverhampton Wanderers
A lot of football enthusiast will have one or two things to say about the former Kwara United midfielder, Olofinjana was also a well known Nigerian player that also graced the English Premier League with his talent, he moved to England to join Wolves in 2004 for a fee of £1.7 million, and he went on to become a regular player for the club.
Olofinjana built on the form he showed in his debut season by finishing as the club top scorer, but he couldn’t replicate that form in the subsequent season with Wolves, as he went on to represent the Super Eagles at the AFCON in 2008 the season that preceded his exit from Wolves.
Following Wolves failure to secure promotion into the Premier League, Olofinjana opted to sign for newly promoted side Stoke City on a four-year deal worth around £3 million, he played over 21 games for the Potters before he left for Hull City where he also had a decent spell, he also played for Sheffield Wednesday towards the twilight of his career.
Issac Success – Watford
In 2016 Success also inked his name in history to be among the list of famous Nigerian football stars to ever play in the English Premier League when he signed for Watford from Granada in a deal estimated to be around £12.5 million, throughout his time with the Hornets he couldn’t lay claim to the starting shirt and in 2017-18 after just one game appearance Success was loaned to Malaga for more game time.
Success may not have achieved quite a lot in the English topflight, although he will be remembered as one of the famous Nigerian stars that ever graced the league with their talent, perhaps if he impresses the Watford board during his loan spell at Malaga he may get to score more goals for the Hornets.
Shola Ameobi – Newcastle United
Ameobi may not have a swell time with the Super Eagles, however, he did had a decent spell with the Magpies playing over 312 games and scoring over 50 goals in all competitions for Newcastle and no doubt Ameobi was one of the dedicated servants of the club.
The Nigerian also played an important role in Newcastle’s Europa League campaign, scoring three goals in the tournament, with various other impressive performances that he displayed during his spell with the Magpies.
In 2014, it was confirmed by Newcastle that Ameobi will be partying company with the Magpies after 14 years of service for the Tyneside club, thereafter he also had a short spell with other clubs in England.
Efan Ekoku – Wimbledon Town
Football aficionados of the millennium may not have seen Ekoku played, perhaps some oldies would have seen him play, although Ekoku had spells with over seven different club sides in England but notably, he was well recognized with FCWimbledon when he joined them to replace long-serving striker John Fashanu.
Ekoku went on to become the club top scorer in the league that season with 9 goals as they finished 9th on the league table, to maintain their reputation as one of the hardest side to beat in the league, they were also known for their stinginess at the back and they don’t even get to score a lot of goals.
The AFCON winner in 1994 managed over 123 games for Wimbledon with 37 goals to his name, his exploits with Wimbledon will be remembered for the roles he played when they played in two consecutive semi-finals of their domestic cup which he came out top scorers with 11 goals.
Daniel Amokachi – Everton
Amokachi was signed by then manager of Everton Mike Walker following his outstanding performance in Belgium for a fee around £3,000,000, the Bull as his usually called went on to win the FA Cup with the Toffees in 1995 scoring two goals in the semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur.
The former Nigerian forward appeared in the final briefly as a substitute, Amokachi will be remembered fondly for the two goals he scored in semi-finals which took Everton to the final which they won and critically for his beret-wearing celebrations.
Amokachi didn’t really have a swell time with the Toffees before he left for Besiktas in Turkey in 1995-96 season, having played over 43 games and scored 10 goals for the Toffees during his stint in England.
