Nigerian footballers who went on to play abroad

Super Eagles of Nigeria, (Standing) Augustine Okocha, Joseph Yobo, Ifesetiagwa Emeka, Shorumu Ike, George Finidi et Taribo West; (Squatting) Ifeanyi Udeze, Julius Aghahowa, Victor Ikpeba, Victor Agali et Sunday Oliseh, pose on 12 january 2002 in Bouake ahead of a match against Cote d’Ivoire. Photo: AFP

As a nation, Nigeria has produced some excellent footballers who have gone on to achieve a lot in the sport. Many of these players had spells playing in their homeland before plying their trade in other countries, and we’ve picked out some of the more interesting ones below.

Julius Aghahowa
Julius Aghahowa is somewhat of a cult figure and is renowned for being a favourite in football manager simulator games. The attacker, who started his career in Nigeria with Bendel Insurance, was famed for his pace and had spells playing in Tunisia, Ukraine, England and Turkey. He collected thirty-two caps for the Super Eagles during a seven-year period.

Emmanuel Ekpo
Like most Nigerian footballers, Emmanuel Ekpo started out playing in Nigeria and then made the decision to move to pastures new. An opportunity arose to head to the MLS, which the central midfielder grasped with both hands, and he went on to make over 100 appearances for Columbus. Time in Norway followed before Ekpo saw out his career in New Zealand, a country where football and everything football-related, including football match betting, is on the rise.

Joseph Yobo
Defender Joseph Yobo is one of Nigeria’s greatest-ever exports, with the player enjoying a stellar career at the highest level of the game. After a spell at home as a youth player with Michellin-Harcourt, Yobo made the breakthrough at Belgian club Standard Liege before earning a move to French giants Marseille. A