As the ex-ManchesterCity man turns 29, we remember six Nigerian strikers who never realised their potential
DepophotosOlarenwaju Kayode
Currently featuring with Sivasspor in the Turkish top flight—on loan from Ukraine giants Shakhtar Donetsk—it doesn’t seem that long ago that Kayode was signing for English giants ManchesterCity.
It was an odd move at the time, with Kayode then approaching his mid-20s and not the kind of youth prospect with time to develop on his side.
He had enjoyed an excellent scoring record with Austria Vienna before that move, but has struggled to score consistently since—barring a decent scoring run on loan at Gaziantep.
The Nigeria caps have dried up after he featured four times for the national side in 2017.
AdvertisementGettyIsaac Success
Watford’s record signing when he signed for the Hornets from Granada for a fee estimated to be around £12.5 million in 2016, it’s fair to see that deal never truly worked out for player nor club.
The striker’s time in Hertfordshire was mired by injury, loss of form and off-field controversies, and he ended his spell at the club with a miserable three goals in 63 league games across the Premier League and the Championship.
This season, on loan at Udinese, he’s registered his career best tally for goal contributions, although don’t expect him to add to his two Nigeria caps any time soon.
Getty ImagesJulius Aghahowa
Broke onto the scene at the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, where he was the tournament’s joint top scorer and caught the eye with his somersaulting celebrations.
He proceeded to win a trio of Ukrainian titles with Shakhtar Donetsk, although Aghahowa’s career took a wrong turn in his mid-20s when he signed for Wigan Athletic.
He failed to net in the Premier League, wouldn’t represent Nigeria again after 2007, and even a return to Shakhtar—wither another domestic title—couldn’t quite reignite his career.
Getty.Josh Maja
Contrary to others on this list, Maja still has time on his side to realise his potential and fulfil the hype that accompanied the early stages of his career.
However, he is running out of time and it increasingly appears as though we won’t live up to the immense expectations that accompanied him at Sunderland.
Currently with StokeCity in the Championship, he’s scored just once on loan this season, struggling to impress in the second tier, and in fact, has netted just 13 goals with Girondins de Bordeaux, Fulham and the Potters since leaving Sunderland in 2018.
Nonetheless, the 23-year-old is skilful, impresses in the build-up play, and can still be a hit—he just needs the right move this summer.