10 Nigerian Footballers, Past & Present, Who Made High-Profile Transfer Moves
The 2024 summer transfer window is still ongoing, with Nigerian footballers being signed by clubs in Europe and other parts of the world.
Among the high-profile moves made by Nigerian players so far in the current window are the duo of Kelechi Iheanacho and Chidera Ejuke, who recently signed for UEFA Cup/Europa League record holders with seven titles, Sevilla.
In this piece, Completesports.com’s JAMES AGBEREBI discusses 10 Nigerian players, past and present, who made big transfer moves.
Finidi George (Sharks to Ajax: 1993)
Finidi George played for Calabar Rovers, Iwuanyanwu Nationale (now Heartland), and Sharks between 1989 and 1993.
While at Sharks, his impressive performances attracted Dutch Eredivisie heavyweight Ajax Amsterdam, leading to a move in 1993.
His impact with the Ajax side was immediate, as he scored four goals in 27 games to help them win the Eredivisie title in the 1993/94 season, which they also achieved in the following two campaigns.
Finidi capped a memorable time at Ajax by helping them win the UEFA Champions League title in 1995, beating A.C. Milan 1-0 in the final.
Nwankwo Kanu (Iwuanyanwu Nationale to Ajax: 1993)
Just like Finidi, Nwankwo Kanu moved directly from the Nigerian league to Ajax, where he performed exceptionally well.
After featuring for Iwuanyanwu Nationale (now Heartland) in just one season (1992-1993), Kanu was signed by Ajax, where he was part of the team that won three consecutive league titles and the UEFA Champions League title.
In 1996, Ajax sold Kanu to Serie A side Inter Milan for around $4.7 million after he led the U-23 Eagles to win the gold medal at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics.
Emmanuel Amuneke (Sporting Lisbon to Barcelona: 1996)
Emmanuel Amuneke played for Concord and Julius Berger before being signed by Egyptian giant Zamalek.
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From Zamalek, Amuneke joined Portuguese top side Sporting Lisbon, where he featured from 1994 to 1996.
The AFCON 1994 and Atlanta 1996 Olympic gold medal winner made a big transfer to Barcelona in 1996.
Unfortunately, it was not the best of times at Barcelona for Amuneke, who had to battle with injuries, which led to limited playing time before departing for Albacete in 2000.
Taribo West (Auxerre to Inter Milan: 1997 / Inter Milan to AC Milan: 2000)
One of the best defenders to come out of Africa, Taribo West played for Obanta United, Sharks, and Julius Berger before making a move to Auxerre in France in 1993 following successful trials.
West helped Auxerre win their first league title in the club’s history in the 1995/96 season, and his impressive performances led to a move to Inter Milan in 1997.
At Inter, Taribo featured regularly and was part of the team that won the UEFA Cup (now Europa League) in 1998.
In the 2000 winter transfer window, West switched to Inter’s crosstown rivals AC Milan but spent just one season.
Odion Ighalo (Shanghai Shenhua to Man United: 2020)
Odion Ighalo played for clubs like Prime, Julius Berger, Udinese, Granada, Watford, Changchun Yatai, and Shanghai Shenhua.
He made the biggest transfer of his football career on January 31, 2020, when he returned to the Premier League and joined Manchester United on loan from Shanghai Shenhua until the end of the season.
In doing so, Ighalo became the first Nigerian player, and the seventh African, to join United.
Ighalo opted to wear the number 25 shirt, previously worn by United’s first and longest-serving African player, Quinton Fortune of South Africa.
After three substitute appearances, Ighalo made his full debut for United in their Europa League round-of-32 second-leg match against Club Brugge on February 27.
He scored his first United goal, which was also his maiden goal in a European competition, as the hosts won 5–0. A week later, he scored his first brace for the club as United beat Derby County 3–0 in the FA Cup.
Taye Taiwo (Lobi Stars to Marseille: 2005 / Marseille to AC Milan: 2011)
Taye Taiwo, after successful stints with Gabros and Lobi Stars in Nigeria, transferred to French giants Olympique Marseille in 2005. His tenure with the club was notable; over six years, he contributed to their successes, including winning the French league and French League Cup in 2010, the French Super Cup in 2010, and the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2005.
In 2011, Taiwo moved to AC Milan, a club with a rich history of UEFA Champions League victories. Unfortunately, his time at Milan was marred by an ankle injury that kept him sidelined for a month. He made his debut on September 24, 2011, in a 1–0 win against Cesena but struggled to secure a regular spot in the starting lineup.
According to the former Nigeria left-back’s Wikipedia page, in December 2011, Taiwo expressed his dissatisfaction with his situation at Milan in an interview with L’Équipe, criticizing coach Massimiliano Allegri and his limited playing time. Taiwo started only six matches across all competitions, totaling eight appearances before Queens Park Rangers signed him on loan on January 24, 2012, for the remainder of the season.
John Obi Mikel (Lyn Oslo to Chelsea: 2006)
John Obi Mikel began his career with local club Plateau United before joining Norwegian club Lyn at the age of 17 in 2004.
In 2006, Mikel made a controversial transfer to then Premier League champions Chelsea after Manchester United claimed they had already signed him.
After the transfer saga between Chelsea and United had died down, Mikel spent 11 years at the Blues, where he won multiple titles, including two Premier League titles, four FA Cups, one League Cup, and the 2011–12 Champions League.
After leaving Chelsea, he had brief stints at Tianjin TEDA, Middlesbrough, Trabzonspor, and Stoke City.
Sunday Oliseh (Ajax to Juventus: 1999)
Following spells at FC Cologne, Liege, and Reggiana, Oliseh joined Dutch giant Ajax Amsterdam in 1997, where he won the Eredivisie league and Cup titles.
In 1999, Oliseh made another big transfer, this time to Juventus, which turned out to be a forgettable experience as he struggled for playing time before eventually joining Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund in 2000.
At Dortmund, Oliseh helped the club lift the Bundesliga title in the 2001/02 season and reach the UEFA Cup (Europa League) final, which they lost.
Victor Osimhen (Lille to Napoli: 2020)
Victor Osimhen was one of the stars of the Golden Eaglets who won the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile, finishing as the top scorer with 10 goals.
His impressive performance at the World Cup earned Osimhen a move to Wolfsburg in 2017, who then loaned him out to Belgian club Charleroi.
From Wolfsburg, Osimhen was signed by Lille in 2019, where he spent only one season, scoring 13 goals in 27 appearances.
His superb display at Lille saw Napoli come calling, and on July 31, 2020, the Serie A club announced his signing for a club-record fee of €70 million, potentially rising to €80 million with add-ons, making him the most expensive African transfer to date.
Osimhen then played a major role in the 2022/23 season as Napoli secured the Serie A title for the first time since 1990. He finished the season as top scorer with 26 goals, becoming the first African to achieve this feat.
Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal to AC Milan: 2023)
Samuel Chukwueze was also part of the Golden Eaglets squad that won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile.
Chukwueze joined Villarreal CF’s prolific youth setup in 2017 from Nigerian local side Diamond Football Academy. After being initially assigned to the club’s Juvenil A squad, he made his senior debut with the reserves on April 15, 2018.
He marked his time at Villarreal by helping them win the Europa League title in the 2020/21 season, beating Manchester United on penalties. Chukwueze missed the final due to injury.
Then on July 27, 2023, Chukwueze made the biggest move of his career yet as Serie A heavyweight AC Milan signed him on a contract until June 30, 2028.
In his first season at Milan (2023/24), Chukwueze managed just one goal in 24 league appearances.
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