A lot of noise has been made over the success of Nigerians in different industries all over the world, however, a lot of people are still oblivious to the top Nigerian performers from different fields in the world of sports. Here’s 6 of the best;
6) Victor Osimhen: The 22 year old striker made waves since his move to Charleroi in 2018, but it was his 2019 move to Lille that catapulted him to international recognition. His performances for Lille earned him a move in 2020 to Napoli in Italy in the excess of 60 million Euros, making him the most expensive African export ever. It didn’t come as a surprise to many, as he had scored a lot of goals from the start of his career, making him a favourite for many NetBet punters in their weekend games.
5) Kamaru Usman: The Auchi born mixed martial artist known as the Nigerian Nightmare was impressive in 2020, successfully defending his UFC Welterweight World Championship in July against Jorge Masvidal in what was his only fight of 2020.
4) Israel Adesanya: The style bender, as he’s popularly known was named as the Fighter of the Year in the annual MMA World Awards following a dominant 2020. He defeated previously undefeated duo, Paulo Costa and Yoel Romero in his two fights, successfully defending his middleweight title.
3) Anthony Joshua: Anthony Oluwafemi Joshua, the Sagamu indigene was also very impressive in 2020, retaining his titles despite having faced Kubrat Pulev with all 4 of his titles on the line. On December 12th 2020, Joshua defeated Pulev with a 9th round knockout, potentially setting up a blockbuster fight against The Gypsy King, Tyson Fury in 2021 a fight all fans who love betting on boxing are looking forward to.
2) Asisat Oshoala: Super Zee as she’s fondly known by her fans took the Spanish Primera Iberdrola division by storm when she joined FC Barcelona Femenino on loan. The striker’s pace and eye for goal set her aside, and the club wasted no time in giving her a permanent deal in Catalunya. She has scored goals for fun, and helped her team qualify for the UEFA Women’s Champions League final where they lost to Olympique Lyonnais. She became the first African to score in the Women’s Champions League final when she scored a consolation goal after coming on in the 87th minute of the game, which they lost 4-1. She also won the Primera Iberdrola title with Barcelona. She’s head and shoulders above every other African female footballer, and holds the record for the most African Female Footballer of the Year awards.
1) Wilfred Ndidi: The former KRC Genk man is entering into his best years for the Super Eagles and his club, Leicester City. The 24 year old defensive midfielder has cemented his place in both his club and national teams as his performances have proven to be reliable, and he’s almost indispensable to his teams. It was his absence due to injury at the tail end of the 2019/20 football season that saw the wheels fall off Leicester’s pursuit of Champions League football, and the Super Eagles failed to win a single match of the four they played in his absence. He distinguished himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe in 2020 with his performances.
