The ongoing football season in Europe has brought to the fore some players from Nigeria who well relatively unknown a few months ago, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
However as the season progresses they have caught the eyes with stellar performances, which has earned them praised and to some open the door for a possible move to a team playing in a top league. A few others will be hoping to catch the attention of national team selectors in Nigeria before the close of the season.
We pick five players under the age of 23 who have stood out so far from our point of view.
Hamzat Ojediran – Not particularly unknown as he was a part of the 2019 Nigeria U17 team to the world cup, but his performances for French Ligue 1 side Lens appears to have gone under the radar. Since his move to the team in the summer from Hungarian side Debreceni VSC he has looked the part for the 7th placed team.
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So far he has played in 7 Ligue 1 games with a goal to his name. A remarkable stat for a player who was bought with the idea of having him play for their B team before a possible promotion to the first team. He broke into the squad in less than two weeks.
Ibrahim Buhari – He will probably go down as one of the revelations of this year’s UEFA Europa League with his eye catching performances for Swedish side Elfsborg. Fresh from playing in all of the games in the Swedish league , he hasn’t missed a game in the Europa League. He presently ranks as the second when it comes to defensive clearance in what is Europe’s second most prestigious club football tournament.
Anthony Dennis – A defensive midfielder who was plucked from Abuja based football academy HB. He spent a year with the youth team before making the step up to the main team of Turkish side Göztepe. He has played in all of the games he has been available, missing just three games through suspension this season.
Vince Osuji – Already tipped to be the next big thing to come out of Sweden with so many top clubs around Europe closely monitoring his performances this season. At just 18 he has cemented his spot at the back for Swedish side Kalmar. He played in all but one of their games of the season and not for once has he looked out of place.
Chibuike Nwaiwu – Left Nigeria Premier League side Enyimba for modest Austrian side Wolfsberger AC. After a slow start he has played the full minutes of their last seven consecutive games alternating as a defensive midfielder and as a centre back. Not many have heard of him before his move to Austria, where he is slowly becoming a household name.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
