Top 5 Nigerian Footballers in the English Premier League
Tours TravelThe English Premiership is the largest sports franchise in the world of sport with a global audience spread across every continent in the world. It currently consists of twenty teams that are expected to play 38 games each with a total of 380 games from August to May each year.
The English Premiership has seen an influx of non-British citizens, especially Nigerians, in recent years. Their positive influence cannot be adequately emphasized considering the fact that they remain a major force in world football. Below is a profile of the top 5 Nigerian footballers plying their trade at English Premier League clubs.
- Dickson Etuhu
Dickson Etuhu is an attacking midfielder for England’s Fulham football club. An integral part of his first team, he helped the club reach the European Cup final in 2009, where they narrowly lost to Atletico Madrid of Spain.
He is also a member of the Nigerian senior team, the Nigerian Super Eagles. It is interesting to note that Dickson Etuhu participated in the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted by South Africa and had a pretty good tournament.
- Victor Anichebe
Everton’s attacking master has always been a key member of David Moyes’s side until an injury sustained during Nigeria’s preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup hampered his progress. He was a member of the silver-winning 2008 Olympic soccer team that represented Nigeria in Beijing. Victor Anichebe has been used largely as a substitute in the last three seasons, due to the presence of established stars like Luis Saha and Yakubu Aiyegbeni in Everton’s front row.
- Yakubu Aiyegbeni
Love him or hate him, Yakubu Aiyegbeni deserves a mention among the top Nigerian stars in the English Premier League. He previously played for Portsmouth FC and Middlesbrough. However, his appearance at Everton was limited to the bench in the 2010/2011 season due to poor form.
Yakubu earned the ire of Nigerians at the last FIFA World Cup when he made the biggest mistake of the tournament in Nigeria’s third and final match against South Korea. Despite the fact that he later scored from a penalty in that same match, Nigerians at home have not forgiven him for a mistake that would have likely taken Nigeria to the next round of the World Cup.
- Osaze Odewengie
Osaze Odewengie made waves when he left Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow for Premiership side West Bromwich Albion in 2010. He became an instant revelation in the Premiership scoring crucial goals in wins against Arsenal, Newcastle United and West HamUnited. Born to a Nigerian father and a Russian mother, Osaze opted to play for the Super Eagles and was selected for the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations, where he scored a brace against South Africa in one of the group stage matches. He also won silver with the Olympic team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and recently played at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where Nigeria was eliminated in the First Round.
- Obinna Nsofor
Obinna Nsofor is a striker for West Ham United of the English Premiership. He is currently on loan from Italian Inter Milan, where he has been for the last three seasons. He also played on loan at Málaga FC in Spain.