With the 2022/23 UEFA Champions league season set to kick off tonight, here are the seven Nigerian players who will be participating in Europe’s elite football competition with the hopes of lifting the trophy.
Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
Napoli returned to the UEFA Champions League thanks to the performance of Nigeria striker, Victor Osimhen, in the Serie A last season. Osimhen scored 14 league goals in 27 games helping his side finish third and book an automatic ticket to the continent’s elite league.
Although Osimhen is doubtful for Napoli’s opener against Liverpool on Wednesday after suffering a knock in his side’s 2-1 win over Lazio in the Serie A on Sunday, he’ll hope to be instrumental to the team’s overall success in the competition this season. The striker has scored twice in five league games this season.
Napoli is in a tough group where they’ll face Ajax, Liverpool and Rangers.
Calvin Bassey (Ajax)
Calvin Bassey will be donning the jersey of Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam in the 2022/23 Champions league season after joining in the summer from Scottish side Glasgow Rangers.
Bassey was a key player for the Gers helping them to the final of last season’s Europa league final. They however lost 2-1 to Bundesliga side Frankfurt but the Super Eagles defender was named the man of The match despite being on the losing side due to his impressive performance.
The 22-year-old has made an impressive start to the 2022/23 Dutch Eredivisie campaign and has been difficult to play against in the three games he’s featured in this season prompting Dutch legend Frank De Boer to label him ‘undroppable’ in the Ajax squad this season.
He will be making his champions league debut against his former team Rangers on Tuesday.
Zaidu Sanusi (Porto)
Zaidu Sanusi featured in all of FC Porto’s six matches in the Champions League last season but the Portuguese giants failed to make it out of the group stage. The Super Eagles left-back will be hoping to help his side do better in the competition this season.
Sanusi will be in action against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. He has made four league appearances for Porto this season.
Paul Mukairu, Akinkunmi Amoo (Copenhagen )
Paul Mukairu and Akinkunmi Amoo have been listed in the Copenhagen squad to face Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League opener on Tuesday. The Danish side are the only team in the Champions league this season that has two Nigerians in their squad.
Amoo has made two league appearances this season while Mukairu has appeared in five league games. Both Nigerians will be hoping to help their side navigate a difficult group that has Dortmund, Sevilla and Manchester City.
Fortune Bassey (Viktoria Plzen)
Little known Nigerian forward, Fortune Bassey, has been listed amongst the three strikers to feature for Viktoria Plzen in the champions league this season.
Bassey joined the club on loan from Ferencváros in the summer and has made four league appearances for the Czech club this season, however, he’s yet to find the back of the net. He is in the squad to face Barcelona in their UCL opener on Wednesday.
He will be hoping to help the Czech side navigate a tough group that has not just Barcelona but Inter Milan and Bayern Munich.
Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge)
Raphael Onyedika is in Club Brugge’s squad to face Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday. The 21-year-old defensive midfielder joined from Danish side FC Midtjyllandin the summer.
