By Olukayode Olumuyiwa.
The contribution of Nigerian players to European club football is marked by a deep history of winning major UEFA trophies, spanning the elite Champions League to the latest glory in the Europa League. The nation’s success across all major continental competitions is extensive and proud. However it’s been a little quiet in recent times.
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) Conquerors
Only three Super Eagles have conquered the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, a fact that places them in one of the world’s most exclusive football clubs. Finidi George and Nwankwo Kanu were the pioneers, winning the trophy with Ajax in 1995. John Obi Mikel followed seventeen years later, becoming a UCL champion with Chelsea in 2012, and since has remain the last till date.
The UEFA Cup / Europa League (UEL) Tradition
Nigeria has a powerful legacy in the UEFA Europa League (UEL), the second-tier competition. This list of winners is the largest group of Nigerian European title-holders. Nwankwo Kanu and Taribo West were the first, winning the UEFA Cup with Inter Milan in 1998. Chidi Odiah was part of the CSKA Moscow team that won the UEFA Cup in 2005. John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses won the Europa League together with Chelsea in 2013. Samuel Chukwueze lifted the trophy with Villarreal in 2021. Ademola Lookman delivered one of the most memorable final performances in recent history, scoring a hat-trick to win the UEL with Atalanta in 2024.
The African Perspective
While Nigeria’s three Champions League winners (Kanu, Finidi, Mikel) represent immense success, the nation stands alongside countries like Cameroon (three winners) and Ivory Coast (three winners) in terms of UCL champions produced. However, Ghana currently holds the record for the highest number of African UCL winners, with five players.
When considering the full scope of major UEFA trophies (UCL, UEL, Super Cup), Nigeria’s presence and breadth of success, stretching across multiple generations, demonstrates an enduring legacy that confirms its status as a nation with rich talent of players capable of reaching world-class level if properly managed.
Other Major UEFA Title
Nigeria’s success is not limited to just the top two tournaments. Nwankwo Kanu is one of the few Africans to have also won the UEFA Super Cup, triumphing with Ajax in 1995 after their Champions League victory.
The Fourth UCL Winner: A Waiting Game
The nation’s attention now turns to the question of who will be the fourth Nigerian player to lift the Champions League trophy, ending the long wait since 2012. With the competition’s new, expanded league-phase format intensifying the challenge by guaranteeing more high-stakes matches and favouring clubs with the deepest squads, the financial gap between Europe’s elite and mid-tier sides continues to widen.
This trend makes it increasingly difficult for players not signed to the five or six dominant clubs to reach the final. Currently, the eyes of millions follow keenly players like Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray), Ademola Lookman (Atalanta), and Nathan Tella (Bayer Leverkusen), who are all competing in the 2025/2026 UCL league phase. Their clubs, while successful, are not the traditional favourites, making a victory a monumental, Kanu-level achievement. Until a Super Eagle’s name appears on the squad list of the eventual European champion, the wait for the fourth Nigerian UCL winner will continue, casting be a shadow of skepticism over the new generation and whether they can produce another title-holder anytime soon.
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