January 30, (THEWILL) – On Saturday, Al Hilal unveiled Odion Jude Ighalo after completing his deal from Saudi Pro League rivals Al-Shabab, as the Nigerian who was missing from the country’s squad to the TotalEnergies 2021 AFCON in Cameroon, notched another transfer record.
Ighalo has now become the most expensive player of Nigerian origin above the age of 30 acquired by a club, if only permanent transfers are counted, as a result of his move to Al Hilal.
The highest goal-scorer at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations joined Al Hilal for €5.9 million (about NGN2.7 billion), shattering the previous record of former Chelsea winger Victor Moses, another player above 30 years old, who transferred to Spartak Moscow for five million euros last summer.
Ighalo’s €23.3 million transfer to Changchun Yatai was the most expensive, featuring a Nigerian player overall until Kelechi Iheanacho’s €27.7 million move to Leicester City. That record was later owned by Victor Osimhen, who moved from Lille to Napoli for about €70 million.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
