A total of46 Nigerian players have played in the English Premier Leaguein the competition’s history. Most of them have managed to writetheir name on the scoresheet at least once, depending on their position on the field.

The first Nigerian soccer player to have moved to the EPL wasEfan Ekoku, onMarch 26, 1993, toNorwich City, while the latest player isSemi Ajayi toWest Bromwich. At the moment, there are sixNigerian players actively playing in the 2020-21Premier League season.

21. Brown Ideye – 4 goals

Brown Ideye started his soccer career at Nigerian side Bayelsa United in 2006. It took him eight years to be noticed by an English club. The striker has played for only one Premier League club in his career, West Bromwich.

He stayed with the Albion for one season only, 2014-15. During that time, Ideye scored four goals in the EPL. The 32-year-old is currently playing for the Turkish club Goztepe.

20. Dickson Etuhu – 4 goals

Dickson Etuhu began his career at Manchester City in 2000. Throughout his career, the former defensive midfielder featured for a total of six English clubs, but with only two of them, he played in the Premier League.

At Fulham, he gathered 91 league appearances, netting three times. Meanwhile, with Sunderland, he made 20 appearances and scored only one goal. Since 2017, he’s played for IFK Rossjoholm, but in 2020, Etuhu was banned from Swedish soccer for match-fixing.

19. Celestine Babayaro – 5 goals

Babayaro began his adventure at Anderlecht in 1994, but three seasons later, he joined Chelsea in the Premier League. There, he won the 1998 UEFA Super Cup, the 2000 FA Cup[ and the 2000 Charity Shield, and reached the 2002 FA Cup Final.

From 1997 to 2005, the ex-left-back played in a total of 133 EPL games, and he even scored five goals. He also featured for Newcastle on 47 league occasions but failed to register any goal. Babayaro retired in 2008 with MLS side LA Galaxy.

18. Wilfred Ndidi – 6 goals

Ndidi made his Premier League switch from Genk to Leicester in 2017, at the age of just 20. For the Belgian club, he played for two years.

In 122 EPL games Ndidi has played so far, he has scored six goals, even though he is a defensive midfielder. He is currently going into his fourth season at the King Power Stadium.

17. Finidi George – 6 goals

Finidi George introduced himself to the Premier League very late in his career, almost at the end of it. He played for six other clubs around Nigeria and Europe, before joining Ipswich Town in 2001, at the age of 30.

George stayed there for three years, but during that time, he made only 25 league appearances and scored six goals. In 2004, he retired after spending the season at Mallorca.

16. John Utaka – 7 goals

John Utaka had a very colorful career overall, having played for 13 clubs from all over the world. One of them was Portsmouth, who he joined in 2007.

His stay lasted four years, but during that time, he appeared in 66 games in the Premier League and netted seven times. The former forward retired from soccer in 2018.

15. Joseph Yobo – 8 goals

The Nigerian defender played for Standard Liege, Marseille, and Tenerife on loan, before being shipped on another loan, this time to Everton. After spending one season there, the Merseyside club bought him outright in 2003.

Yobo went on to become a stalwart in the Everton squad, spending a total of a decade at the Goodison Park, including the season of his loan. During that time, he played 220 games and scored eight goals. The defender retired in 2014, with Norwich City.

14. Daniel Amokachi – 10 goals

Just like Yobo, Amokachi made his name known in the Premier League thanks to Everton. After impressing at Club Brugge for two seasons, in 1994, Everton snatched the forward.

Amokachi went on to score 10 goals in 43 Premier League matches from 1994 to 1996. He retired from professional soccer in 2005.

13. Ade Akinbiyi – 11 goals

Akinbiyi is one of the several players on the list who have played for more than 10 clubs in their career. In fact, the ex-forward can boast of being part of 15 total clubs, mostly in the Premier League and the MLS.

Despite having spells at Norwich City, and Sheffield United, Akinbiyi scored all of his EPL goals while wearing the jersey of Leicester. The now 46-year-old announced his retirement in 2015.

12. Alex Iwobi – 13 goals

Iwobi is a rare Nigeria player who is a youth product of a Premier League club. He was part of Arsenal’s academy for 11 years, before making his first-team debut in 2015.

For the Gunners, he netted on 11occasions in a total of 100 league games. The 24-year-old forward joined Everton in 2019, and he has scored twice for the Toffees so far.

11. Jay-Jay Okocha – 13 goals

Alex Iwobi’s nephew, Jay-Jay Okocha, had stints at clubs like Eintracht Frankfurt, Fenerbahce, and Paris Saint-Germain. In addition, he left a mark in the Premier League during his stay at Bolton Wanderers.

Okocha featured 124 times for Bolton in the English top-tier and scored 14 goals from 2002 to 2006. Two years after his exit, the former attacking midfielder retired from soccer at Hull City.

10. Odion Ighalo – 17 goals

Ighalo played for six clubs and went through seven spells to get to Watford on loan from Udinese. It didn’t take much for him to impress, to Watford signed him at the end of the season.

From 2014 to 2017, the striker made 55 league appearances, scoring 17 goals in total. In January 2020, he made a shocking return to the Premier League, joining Manchester United, again on loan.

9. Victor Moses – 20 goals

Victor Moses is the player with the most Premier League experience from the list. Thanks to Wigan, he made his first steps in the English first division in 2010. Two years later he joined Chelsea, but he has been shipped off on six loans since then.

Despite that, the winger has scored seven goals for the Blues in 87 league games. For Wigan, he has managed eight goals, three at Stoke City, and one at West Ham and Liverpool each. The 29-year-old is currently on loan at Spartak Moscow.

8. Kelechi Iheanacho – 21 goals

Iheanacho is a youth product of the Manchester City academy. He spent a season with the youth ranks, before making his breakthrough to the first-team in 2015.

The Nigerian forward appeared in 74 Premier League games for the Citizens, marking his name on the scoresheet nine times. In 2017, he moved to Leicester, where he has so far netted 12 times.

7. Victor Anichebe – 26 goals

One of the many Nigerian players to have played for Everton is Victor Anichebe. An interesting fact is that he is an Everton homegrown player who made his way into the first team in 2006.

During his seven-year stay at the Goodison Park, the striker netted 18 goals in 131 Premier League games. He has also added another six at West Bromwich, and three from his time at Sunderland. Anichebe’s latest soccer activity was recorded back in 2017.

6. Obafemi Martins – 28 goals

Martins played in Italy, before making a move to Newcastle in the Premier League in 2006. Interestingly, he was the first player to wear the No.9 jersey at Newcastle after the retirement of Alan Shearer.

His stay at the Magpies lasted for three seasons, until 2009. During that time, he added 28 goals in 88 Premier League matches. The 36-year-old forward is playing for Wuhan Zall at the moment.

5. Peter Odemwingie – 37 goals

The lone non-Nigeria born player, Odemwingie made his way to the English first division after featuring in Nigeria, France, and Russia. In 2010, West Bromwich announced his transfer.

The forward played a total of 87 league games for WBA and scored 30 goals in total. He has also six goals from his stay at Stoke City, and one at Cardiff City. With Madura United being his final club, he hung up his boots in 2019.

4. Shola Ameobi – 43 goals

In addition to Obafemi Martins, Ameobi made his name known at Newcastle. The only difference is that Shola Ameobi went through years of academy soccer at Newcastle, before making it into their first-team in 2000.

The ex-striker went on to play 295 Premier League fixtures for the Magpies and scored on 43 occasions during his 14-year spell until 2014. He retired in 2018, after spending the season at Notts County.

3. Efan Ekoku – 53 goals

England-born Efan Ekoku spent most of his career on United Kingdom soil, switching between Premier League clubs, EFL Championship sides, and League of Ireland clubs. However, he is most known for his time at Wimbledon (currently Milton Keynes Dons).

At the Dons, he netted 38 league goals in 121 games in the English highest division from 1994 to 1999. In addition, the former striker can boast of adding another 15 goals for Norwich City. He hung up his boots in 2004.

2. Nwankwo Kanu – 54 goals

Nwankwo Kanu spent a great deal of his career in the Premier League, in spite of playing in the Netherlands and Italy prior to his Arsenal move.

In 1999, he switched Inter with the Gunners and that proved to be a very wise decision. Kanu ended up netting 30 goals in 119 league matches for Arsenal. With Portsmouth – the club he retired at in 2012, he added another 17, and seven came from his time at West Bromwich earlier.

1. Yakubu – 95 goals

It took four different clubs and six years for Yakubu to be noticed by an English club. He joined Portsmouth on loan in early 2003, but he was already their full player by the end of the season.

During his time at the Pompey, he scored 29 goals in 67 Premier League matches. He continued to shine after moving to Middlesbrough two years later, marking 24 goals. Besides that, he scored 25 for Everton, and 17 for Blackburn Rovers. Yakubu hung up his boots in 2017.

In October 1949, Nigeria played their first official game while still a British colony, after playing other colonies in unofficial games since the 1930s. The Nigeria national team primarily wear green jerseys.

They are three-time Africa Cup of Nations champions, with their most recent title in 2013. The Super Eagles were ranked 5th in the FIFA rankings in April 1994, the highest FIFA ranking position an African soccer team has ever achieved.

20. Emmanuel Emenike – 8 goals

Emmanuel Emenike scored his first goal for Nigeria on June 1, 2011, in a friendly against Argentina. He scored his final international goal on October 13, 2013, vs Ethiopia at the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification.

The striker retired from international duty in October 2015 with 8 goals in total. The 33-year-old’s most recent club was Belgian club Westerlo in 2019.

19. Sunday Oyarekhua – 8 goals

Sunday Oyarekhua, a former policeman, was noticed by the coaches of the national team while playing for the Police F.C. of Lagos. He scored in a friendly match against the Upper Volta in 1971 on his debut.

He was the top scorer on the 1973 All-Africa Games winning team in Nigeria. He played 28 times for Nigeria, scoring 8 goals.

18. Mohammed Lawal – 8 goals

Mohammed Lawal also scored 8 goals for the Nigeria national soccer team. He scored his first goal for his country on September 21, 1969, and the last one on Mar 18, 1984.

At the 1968 Summer Olympics, he competed in the men’s tournament. Lawal used to play as a left-back before retiring in 1983. He is currently 81 years old.

17. Emmanuel Amunike – 9 goals

Amunike made his Nigeria debut in 1993, and he scored his first goal on 23 April. He appeared for Nigeria 27 times, scoring nine goals.

Additionally, at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Amunike played all the matches, scoring the winning goal in the final as the national team won the gold medal. His final goal was on June 7, 1997.

16. Kelechi Iheanacho – 9 goals

Iheanacho has represented Nigeria from under-13 onwards at youth levels. In a FIFA World Cup 2014 qualifying match against eSwatini, Iheanacho made his senior debut as a replacement.

The 24-year-old forward netted his first international goal on May 27, 2016, while his latest came on October 13, 2020. He is currently playing for Leicester City in the Premier League.

15. Peter Odemwingie – 10 goals

Odemwingie could have played for Uzbekistan and Russia, but opted for the country of his father. His first goal came on 21 June 2003, at the 2004 Nations cup qualifying match against Angola.

The Uzbekistan-born forward netted his last international goal exactly 13 years later, and he retired from representing his country shortly after in 2014. With Madura United being his final club, he hung up his boots in 2019.

14. Victor Obinna – 11 goals

Obinna was a part of the U-20 Flying Eagles who won gold at the 2005 African Youth Tournament in Benin. He was registered in the Nigerian senior squad at the 2006 African Cup of Nations.

The ex-striker stopped representing his country in 2014, a year after he scored his final international goal on November 16, 2013. He retired in 2018, after spending the season at Cape Town City.

13. Ikechukwu Uche – 12 goals

In 2007, Uche made his debut for Nigeria, and he scored his first goal on September 8. He was part of the team that played in Ghana’s 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.

On November 15, 2014, was when Uche scored his final Nigeria goal. He retired from international duty soon after. The 36-year-old’s latest club was Segunda Division’s Gimnastic.

12. Nwankwo Kanu – 12 goals

From 1994 until 2010, Kanu was a member of the Nigerian national team, making his friendly debut against Sweden. He wore the number 4 jersey for Nigeria even though he played as a striker.

The first time Kanu wrote his name on the scoresheet for his country was on October 21, 1995, and the last time was on June 16, 2007. He retired from soccer in 2012, with Portsmouth.

11. Victor Moses – 12 goals

Victor Moses featured for four of England’s youth teams from 2005 to 2010. In 2012, he changed his alliances to the Nigeria senior national team. It took him several months to score his first goal for the Super Eagles, on October 13, 2012.

He announced his international retirement after the 2018 World Cup in Russia. At the moment, the 29-year-old is playing for Spartak Moscow on loan from Chelsea.

10. Daniel Amokachi – 13 goals

Amokachi appeared for Nigeria on 44 occasions, and in several international tournaments. He was part of the squad that took part in the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the 1998 FIFA World Cup and won the 1994 African Nations Cup.

On August 18, 1990, the former forward scores his first goal for Nigeria. His latest one came on April 5, 1997. Two years later, he opted not to feature in international games. In 2005, Amokachi retired fromsoccer.

9. Jay-Jay Okocha – 14 goals

In their 2-1 1994 FIFA World Cup Qualifier loss to Ivory Coast in May 1993, Okocha made his official debut for Nigeria. It didn’t take much for him to become a favorite amongst the Nigeria fans.

They saw Okocha net for the first time on June 11, 1995, and his final goal was 10 years later, on 18 June 2005. The following year, he retired from international duty, and in 2008, he hung up his boots for good.

8. Samson Siasia – 14 goals

Siasia played 51 international games for Nigeria, scoring 14 times. He was part of the squad that played at the 1994 FIFA World Cup and won the African Nations Cup in 1994.

The former striker contributed with his first goal on July 4, 1987. He scored his final one on February 22, 1998. He announced his international retirement the following year, and in 2000, he gave up on playing soccer.

7. Julius Aghahowa – 14 goals

Aghahowa played 32 games and scored 13 national team goals, including their only goal against Sweden in the 2002 World Cup. At the 2002 African Nations Cup, he became Nigeria’s leading goalscorer.

His first goal for Nigeria came on February 3, 2000, and his final one was scored on March 26, 2005. Two years later, he gave up playing for the national team, and in 2011, he officially retired from soccer.

6. Ahmed Musa – 15 goals

Musa made his debut for the Nigerian senior team in a qualifying match for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations against Madagascar on August 5, 2010, at the age of just 17. Two years later, on June 16, he managed his first goal.

So far, the forward has made 95 total senior team appearances and scored 15 goals in total. His latest club was Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr.

5. Odion Ighalo – 16 goals

Ighalo made his national team debut at the age of 26 after impressing in the Premier League in 2015. Later that year, on October 11, Ighalo netted his first Nigeria goal ever.

His final one came on July 17, 2019, at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Nigeria ended up in third place, but once the tournament ended, he retired from international games. Ighalo is part of Manchester United, on loan from Shanghai Shenhua.

4. Obafemi Martins – 18 goals

At the age of 19, Martins made his debut for Nigeria in 2004, scoring the second goal in the 2004 Unity Cup. Thanks to several controversial episodes such as wrongfully written year of birth and missing out on a game, his career with the national team was often in doubt.

However, he lasted until 2015 with the Super Eagles, scoring a total of 18 goals. The 36-year-old forward is playing for Wuhan Zall at the moment.

3. Yakubu – 22 goals

Since his debut at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia, Yakubu has scored 21 goals in his 57 appearances for Nigeria. He was 19 years of age at the moment of his international debut.

He went on to feature at two FIFA World Cups, and two African Cup of Nations, before retiring internationally in 2012. After spending one season at Coventry City, he announced his decision to say ‘goodbye’ to soccer in 2017.

2. Segun Odegbami – 23 goals

Odegbami made 46 appearances and scored 23 goals for the national team of Nigeria, whom he led to the 1980 tournament to their first Africa Cup of Nations title. He debuted in 1976, at the age of 24.

The Lagos-born forward spent five years wearing the Super Eagles jersey. He retired from soccer in 1984, after having spent 14 years with Shooting Stars.

1. Rashidi Yekini – 37 goals

Yekini is the Nigeria national record goalscorer, scoring 37 times in a total of 58 appearances. He debuted for Nigeria in 1984, and scored his first goal a year later, on 6 April.

His final goal came on February 22, 1998, and the former striker subsequently retired from playing international games. Yekini hung up his boots in 2005, with Gateway. On May 4, 2012, he died, aged 48.