10 Nigerian Players to Watch After the International Break

Ten Nigerian players have made headlines before and during the first international break of the season. From Gift Orban and Kelechi Iheanacho's scoring streak in Turkey to Godwin Obaje hitting the 100-goal mark at home, there is plenty to discuss.

Calvin Bassey (Fulham)

Bassey has transformed from a solid defender into a leader at Fulham. This makes him one of the most trusted Nigerians in the Premier League.

New head coach Alvaro Arbeloa named him captain for the club's first three league games. "Being able to captain this club is unbelievable," he said.

The 26-year-old came up through the Leicester City academy and has played for Rangers and Ajax. Since joining Fulham in July 2023, he has made 105 appearances, scoring four goals and providing one assist. His powerful run and shot in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United on September 20 led to Fulham's first goal.

Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray)

Osimhen has had one of the best starts to the season among Nigerians in Europe. The Turkish champions have built their attack around him again.

He scored in each of Galatasaray's first matches, netting six goals in his first four Süper Lig games. This includes a brace and an assist in the 4-0 win over Erzurumspor, putting him level with Gift Orban at the top of the Turkish scoring charts.

Tolu Arokodare (Ajax)

Arokodare has turned his career around in Amsterdam after a tough time at Wolves, who were relegated. Last season, he scored six goals in 38 appearances for them.

He joined Ajax on loan in July and scored on his debut in a pre-season win over Volendam. He scored in his first two Eredivisie matches against Telstar and PSV.

By mid-September, he had five goals and two assists in just 355 minutes, contributing a goal roughly every 71 minutes. The 25-year-old said that scoring is his job, and Ajax has an option to make his move permanent.

Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan)

After returning from a loan at Fulham, Chukwueze has reinvented himself as a right wing-back under new coach Ruben Amorim. He is quickly becoming one of Milan's top creators. He was named Man of the Match in the 2-1 win against Torino on the opening weekend. He set up Adrien Rabiot's goal and created four chances, more than anyone else in the match. He has three assists in his first four league games.

The 27-year-old had three goals and four assists in 26 appearances for Fulham last season. He aims to be Amorim's first-choice right wing-back.

Rasheedat Ajibade (Paris Saint-Germain)

Ajibade is one of the leading Nigerian women in European football, wearing the number 10 jersey at a top club. She scored as PSG beat Oud-Heverlee Leuven 5-0 in the Women’s Champions League and in their 3-1 win over FC Fleury 91.

The forward joined the French club from Atlético Madrid on a free transfer in August 2025, on a contract until June 2027.

Ola Aina (Nottingham Forest)

Aina is back at the international level after almost a year away from football. He returned to the Super Eagles for the 2-1 win over Madagascar in Uyo, delivering a solid performance.

This was his first appearance for Nigeria since the 1-1 draw with South Africa in September 2025, when he got injured on a bad pitch.

Godwin Obaje (Rangers)

Obaje has joined an exclusive group in the domestic league. His milestone puts him among the best Nigerian strikers of his time. He scored his 100th goal in the Nigeria Premier Football League with an 11th-minute penalty in Rangers’ 1-0 win over Warri Wolves in Ozoro on September 30.

He is the second player in the last decade to reach this mark. Rangers honored him before their 3-1 victory over Abia Warriors on Sunday.

The 30-year-old has scored 25 goals for Wikki Tourists, winning the 2016 Golden Boot with 18 goals, 16 for FC Ifeanyi Ubah, one for Plateau United, 23 for Abia Warriors, and 35 for Rangers.

"I am very happy to be listed among the great legends in the league," he told PUNCH Sports Extra.

Gift Orban (Amedspor)

Orban has revived his career and put himself back in the Super Eagles conversation. He has started strong, scoring a hat-trick against Başakşehir. That brought his tally to six goals in five games, and he now has seven in six league matches.

This performance puts him level with Osimhen at the top of the scoring charts and helped newly promoted Amedspor reach the top of the Süper Lig table.

The 24-year-old is on loan from Hoffenheim. He scored seven goals for Hellas Verona last season. He is still waiting for his Super Eagles debut and was left out of Éric Chelle’s squad for the September qualifiers.

Kelechi Iheanacho (Bursaspor)

Iheanacho has rebuilt his career in Turkey, scoring goals to get back into the Super Eagles. He has 11 goals and two assists in nine appearances since joining Bursaspor as a free agent after his Celtic contract ended. He has scored in every league match he has played, equalizing a Bursaspor record that had stood for 12 years.

His form earned him a call-up to the national team after more than 16 months away. His last appearance was in the Unity Cup final on May 31, 2025, where he scored in Nigeria’s 3-3 draw with Russia.