BEVERLY HILLS, May 30, (THEWILL) – Last Wednesday, the epic UEFA Europa League final between Villarreal and Manchester United needed 21 penalty kicks for Villarreal to claim victory. Another Nigerian international footballer, Samuel Chukwueze, joined the class of Super Eagles and Super Falcons footballers across Europe who finished the season at their various clubs with silverwares and celebration.
With football continued under the most unusual circumstances, following strict COVID-19 protocols under the guidance of health and safety regulations without the frenetic atmosphere of chanting fans, filled-out stands, crowded stadiums, cheers, boos, the wild celebrations that greet goals and the tears and sometimes, uncontrollable emotions that come with losses, Nigerian footballers had a most sensational record in the 2020/2021 season.
Even before Chukwueze’s Villarreal registered their first-ever European success on Wednesday to crown a productive campaign for the winger, Racing Genk’s incredible striker Paul Onuachu, who ended his season in Belgium winning the Belgian Cup and with the twin honour of emerging highest goal-scorer and best footballer of the year, had set the bar very high for achievements in a single season of football for Africans playing abroad in general and Nigerians in particular.
This is also evident in the record-setting and unbeaten run of Rangers FC of the Scottish Premier League where the Nigerian Super Eagles’ duo of defender Leon Balogun and midfielder Joe Aribo contributed to helping their side to break the winning streak of arch-rival Celtic while adding to their own records. This theme of making history reflected as well in another Super Eagles’ pair of players when midfielder Wilfred Ndidi and striker Kelechi Iheanacho of Leicester City featured to bring an FA Cup home for the first time in 52 years.
It was not only the men that made waves for the country in Europe. Asisat Oshoala was o the spotlight, too, with Barcelona Femeni in Spain. The club won both the Spanish and European titles with Oshoala featuring prominently.
That was why as Nigerians celebrated with Chukwueze in Villarreal’s Wednesday victory over their more illustrious opponents, parallels were drawn to these other heroes and heroines, whose hard work, diligence and tenacity has contributed to the victories, which their specific teams were celebrating when they lifted up their trophies and posed for pictures with the prize. It was nothing short of a moment of pride for Nigerians.
In Chukwueze’s case, although he had done his bit to get the team to the final, he could not play an active role in the fixture itself as he was recovering from a muscle injury sustained in their second leg semi-final draw against Arsenal. Chukwueze’s presence down the wing, where his specialty lies could have been a massive boost to Villarreal, as he could have scored or made an assist so that the tie may not have needed to go to penalty shootouts.
Chukwueze’s creatively enterprising play for Villarreal from his position had contributed to five assists and one goal in the Europa League before his unfortunate injury against Arsenal. Fortunately, his teammates gave a proper account of themselves. Chukwueze was on hand to join his team in the celebrations that followed the lifting of their first-ever European silverware.
Chukwueze’s European success mirrors Oshoala’s for the fact that the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) trophy Barcelona Femeni won was the first ever for the fantastic women of the Spanish club and for the record-setting Super Falcons captain and striker. In 2019, in Barcelona’s first-ever final, Oshoala netted Barca’s only goal, as a substitute, to become the first African to score in a UWCL final, but they lost 4-1 to Lyon.
However, on Sunday, May 16, Oshoala rewrote the history books as she joined her teammates to lift the trophy in another record-setting display, through which she became the first African winner of the UWCL. This is added to Barca’s phenomenal domestic form that has seen them win 100 percent of all the 28 games so far and have claimed their sixth Primera Iberdrola title as a result. Oshoala has her imprint on the season with 15 goals making her the third-highest goal-scorer in the side, after leading the list earlier, but for her injuries.
Barcelona Femeni still has a chance for a treble. Oshoala and her teammates can add to their haul when they clash against either Athletico Madrid Feminino or Levante on Sunday, May 30 in the Copa de la Reina. On Sunday last week, they confirmed their slot in the final in a one-sided 4-0 trouncing of Madrid CFF, that was a snapshot display of how entirely dominant Oshoala’s club has been all through the 2020/2021 campaign.
As aforementioned, Ndidi and Iheanacho partook in the celebrations of English FA Cup glory after Leicester won their first FA Cup title since 1969 with a single-goal victory against the defensively-compact Chelsea. Iheanacho sparked to life this season and his return of 19 goals, some very critical to the team’s advance, and seven assists in all competitions, was his best since arriving in England seven years ago. Ndidi was man of the match in the final and that is a perfect summation of how important he has been to Leicester this season.
There is not much that can added to Onuachu’s clinical finishing in Belgium that has not been said about the incredibly unstoppable Racing Genk forward, which his 34 goals has not already made obvious. For every goal a Nigerian player scored abroad this season, Onuachu had extras to add. An average 89 minutes-per-goal ratio places him in a class all by himself in comparison. And, lifting the Belgian Cup with the pleasure of his season-ending double awards were just as his goals deserved and his performance merited.
Finally, in Scotland, the Rangers FC/ Super Eagles duo of Balogun and Aribo aided the club to set a few records of their own, including a domestic league world record for winning the Scottish Premiership trophy 55 times, on their way to prevent Celtic from a 10th consecutive league title. Balogun was rewarded with a contract extension while manager Steven Gerrard reserved special adulations for Aribo after a unique display added to his performance that led to eight goals and an equal number of assists in the season.
From the the Scottish Premier League to the Primera Iberdrola, from the English FA Cup to the Belgian FA Cup, from the UEFA Women’s Champions League to the UEFA Europa League, the 2020/2021 season has been phenomenally enjoyable to follow from a Nigerian perspective. There were other Nigerians of note, who, though were not silverware winners, were magnificent for their teams as well including Simy Nwankwo of Crotone (Italy), Victor Osimhen of Napoli (Italy) and Terem Moffi of Lorient (France) and rightly should be called heroes too.
THEWILL believes these all go to show it has been nothing short of a triumphant season for Nigerian football especially in some of the best teams abroad and football fans in Nigeria have not stopped singing the praises of these heroes and heroines making a name for themselves internationally and doing their country proud as well. For now, there is a reason to be proud of the country all over again.
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.
