Europe’s major leagues are entering the decisive stretch of the 2025/26 campaign, and Nigerian footballers are once again central to the narrative across England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France.
But beyond headlines and highlight reels, which Nigerian footballers have truly been the most offensive threats this season? Who shoots more, who creates more, and who delivers efficiency in front of goal?
Completesports.com‘s ALLI FESOMADE analyses it all, diving deep into event-level data from every league appearance to evaluate the attacking profiles of Nigerian footballers in Europe’s top five leagues — separating perception from performance.
Europe’s major leagues are entering the decisive stretch of the 2025/26 season, and Nigerian footballers continue to influence outcomes across England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France.
But beyond matchday headlines, which Nigerian footballers have actually been the most dangerous in attacking situations?
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Using event-level data from every league appearance this season, we analysed outfield Nigerians across Europe’s top five leagues.
All metrics are normalised per 90 minutes to ensure fair comparison between starters and substitutes. Players who changed clubs mid-season are also accounted for.
Nigerian Footballers: Minutes, Availability And Sample Size
Across Europe’s top five leagues, Nigerian footballers have accumulated 19,177 league minutes. 50% of these players have over 651 minutes and appeared in over 14 games this season.
Eight players have crossed the 1,000-minute mark. Among recognised forwards, Gift Orban, Akor Adams, Tolu Arokodare and Moses Simon have seen the heaviest gametime.
• Gift Orban (Verona) — 1585 minutes
• Moses Simon (Paris FC) — 1319 minutes played
• Akor Adams (Sevilla) — 1316 minutes
• Tolu Arokodare (Wolverhampton Wanderers) — 1182 minutes
Atletico Madrid’s new sensation, Ademola Lookman (955 minutes), follows closely in fifth position and is just 45 minutes shy of the 1000-minute mark.
He, however, ranks tenth overall for minutes played given his troubles with clubside football this season.
Let’s summarise the attacking profiles of Nigerian footballers across Europe’s top five leagues before analysing who excels in specific roles for their clubs.
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Plotting total minutes against overall attacking traits reveals four distinct categories:
• High Gametime and Low Attacking Traits
• High Gametime and High Attacking Traits
• Low gametime and low attacking traits
• Low Gametime and High Attacking Traits
High Gametime, High Output Leaders
The clearest standout in the top right bracket is Gift Orban. Orban averages 0.4 goals per 90 from 3.6 shots. He scores once every 226 minutes.
His shot profile shows balance between inside-box and outside-box attempts, suggesting calculated positioning rather than hopeful shooting. Notably, he is twice as dangerous in counter-attacking situations compared to open play.
Akor Adams follows closely. He leads all Nigerians in total goal contributions with six goals and three assists. Most of his 2.8 shots per 90 come from inside the penalty area, confirming his penalty-box presence.
Ademola Lookman presents a different case. His minutes are slightly lower, but once filtering for players above 500 minutes, he arguably shows the most complete attacking profile.
He contributes across shooting, dribbling and chance creation metrics. No Nigerian has had more shots blocked this season. This shows constant involvement in attacking sequences.
Nigerian Footballers: The Aerial Threat And xG Debate
Tolu Arokodare is the most interesting figure in the dataset. He is significantly underperforming his xG value, scoring twice as against an expected five goals so far this season.
73% of his shots have come from inside the box, and he contests over 11 aerial duels per 90. He has recorded three times (21) as many headed attempts as other Nigerian footballers in Europe’s top five leagues.
Only Christantus Uche, who is a few inches shorter than the Wolves forward, comes close in duels won per ninety minutes played, but he has played significantly fewer minutes than Arokodare.
David Okereke, Uchenna Ogundu, Rafiu Durosinmi, Taiwo Awoniyi, and Phillip Otele also rank high in aerials won per 90 but have all played significantly fewer minutes.
To add some context to Arokodare’s finishing struggles, Wolverhampton Wanderers are currently in a relegation battle and struggle to create consistently.
This raises questions about chance quality and service rather than purely individual inefficiency, given that he shoots mostly from inside the penalty area.
Dribble Specialists And Progressive Carriers
Attacking traits come from more than shooting volume, quality of finishing and goals scored. We also have the dribble specialists and progressive ball carriers.
Chidera Ejuke attempts 10.4 dribbles per 90, which is the highest of any Nigerian in Europe’s top five leagues. He succeeds 55 per cent of the time. Though his minutes are lower, he attempts to dribble once every nine minutes.
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Samuel Chukwueze ranks highly in progressive carries and successful dribbles. Since his move to Fulham, he has scored three goals, all from inside the box.
He is among the top ranks for both Goals and assists for Fulham this season. Chukwueze has also struck the post multiple times, tied with Gift Orban despite playing fewer minutes.
Chidera Ejuke and Samuel Chukwueze have the profile of players who destabilise defences rather than simply finish moves.
Nigerian Footballers: Midfield Efficiency And Overperformance
Alex Iwobi and Moses Simon both outperform their expected goals. Iwobi has scored three times from 1.55 xG. He had a goal and an assist last weekend for Fulham in the Premier League.
Even as a midfielder, Alex Iwobi attempts 1.14 shots per 90. It is the highest among Nigerian “non-forwards” in Europe’s top five leagues this season. He is only surpassed in attempts on target by Nigerian forwards with over 500 minutes of gametime.
Alex Iwobi’s shooting profile shows a willingness to attempt efforts from distance, signalling confidence and frequent involvement.
Moses Simon as well has turned two expected goals into three while also adding two assists. He attempts 1.3 shots per game and completes 35% of his take-ons.
His cross deliveries also contribute to his attacking quality. He has, however, been dispossessed more times than other Nigerian footballers in Europe’s top five leagues.
Nigerian Footballers: Limited Minutes, High Potential
Not every Nigerian has had the luxury of game time. Uchenna Ogundu played his first nine minutes in the Bundesliga this season in Augsburg’s 3-2 win over Wolfsburg on Saturday.
Similarly, since joining Werder Bremen, Victor Boniface has barely crossed 300 minutes of gametime in the league.
Boniface attempts 4.4 shots per 90, the most of any Nigerian in Europe’s top five leagues, but still awaits his first goal this season. He has, however, managed two assists.
Umar Sadiq, on the other hand, has only scored once this season. With just 229 minutes played at Valencia, all his shots have come from inside the box, but at Real Sociedad, he was mostly shooting from distance.
Nathan Tella’s 1.6 expected assists suggest creative output and he has two recorded assists already. With one assist already this season, Philip Otele’s low shooting volume but 0.77 xA points to a facilitator role rather than a primary finisher.
Taiwo Awoniyi, Christantus Uche, Phillip Otele, Rafiu Durosinmi, David Okereke and Uchenna Ogundu have not been able to impose themselves in attack for their clubsides this season largely due to gametime.
For context, Christantus Uche, since joining the Premier League, has played even fewer minutes in 13 games than he managed with Getafe in just three games. Uche attempts a shot every 30 minutes and gets a shot on target every 75 minutes he’s played.
Defensive Contributors In Attacking Phases
Given the trend of modern football, it is no surprise to find a fullback, among Nigerian footballers,in the top right quadrant of attacking qualities.
Ola Aina is not having a great run this season, but Nantes’ Chidozie Awaziem has equalled his best performance for Nantes already this season with two goal contributions and a goal to his name.
Awaziem is not the only defender on the scoresheet this season. Calvin Bassey has also made his mark for his Fulham this season with a premier league goal in the away win over Burnley.
As we wrap up, if judged purely by finishing efficiency and direct goal threat, Gift Orban and Akor Adams lead the Nigerian pack across Europe’s top five leagues.
However, when evaluating all-round attacking contribution, including chance creation, dribbling and involvement across phases Ademola Lookman currently displays the most complete attacking profile.
As the season reaches its final stretch, those distinctions may define how the Super Eagles’ attacking hierarchy shapes up ahead of the next international competition.
