Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City), Paul Onuachu (Genk) and Taiwo Awoniyi (Union Berlin) all tallied over the weekend for their clubs in European football to show that perhaps they should have been involved in the second leg of Nigeria’s 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying playoff. Iheanacho scored from a diving header to equalize for Leicester in their English Premier League draw against Manchester United, Onuachu scored a hat-trick in Belgian football and Awoniyi scored the lone goal for Union Berlin in their 1-0 victory over FC Köln in Bundesliga action.
Premium Times Nigeria examines how Nigerians playing abroad fared in all of Europe’s top leagues over the weekend. In addition, Super Eagles winger Moses Simon earned recognition for his excellent season at FC Nantes in France’s Ligue 1 by being named on the 12-player shortlist for the Prix Marc-Vivien Foé, an award given to the best player in Ligue 1 who represents an African national team. Simon will hope he can follow in the footsteps of current Napoli star striker Victor Osimhen, who was the last Nigerian to win the award in 2020.
