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PulseSports30 is an annual football ranking that recognizes the 30 best-performing Nigerian footballers from across the globe.
PulseSports30 makes a return for a second year, recognizing the 30 best-performing Nigerian footballers from the 2022/23 football season.
As a non-discriminatory annual ranking, PulseSports30 considers footballers of Nigerian heritage who performed excellently either in Africa, Asia, Europe, North/South America, or Oceania.
56 performers were shortlisted for this year's final ranking, with 30, chosen after amassing the most points in a cumulative merit polling.
Meet the top 10 ranked players.
10. ODION IGHALO
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Ighalo played a crucial role as Al-Hilal reached the Asian Champions League final. Although they lost to Japanese side Urawa Reds, he had already demonstrated his enduring quality in front of goal by putting four past Al-Duhail in the semi-final.
The Nigeria international was also prolific domestically, scoring 19 league goals and only narrowly missing out on the Golden Boot. He did, however, beat Cristiano Ronaldo to a spot in the Saudi Professional League team of the season.
9. ALEX IWOBI
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Everton had a near-disastrous campaign by all accounts, but one man stood head and shoulders above the rest. Iwobi was instrumental in steering the Toffees away from relegation and was deservedly named Player of the Season.
The 27-year-old excelled in a variety of positions, initially in the middle of the park under Frank Lampard before shifting out wide under Sean Dyche. The Nigeria international finished the season with an impressive nine assists to highlight his creativity.
8. VICTOR BONIFACE
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Boniface had a remarkable season for Belgian side Royale Union SG, finishing the season with 17 goals in 51 appearances and coming in second to Genk’s Mike Tresor in the Jupiler League Player of the Season stakes.
The 22-year-old was also pivotal as his team reached the Europa League quarter-finals, registering six goals to finish joint top scorer alongside Marcus Rashford, and was rewarded with a place in the competition’s Team of the Season for his remarkable performances.
7. TAIWO AWONIYI
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After an injury-riddled start to life at Nottingham Forest, Awoniyi returned to his best form to almost single-handedly steer the club away from relegation. He scored 6 goals in his last 4 games and 11 goals in 30 appearances for Steve Cooper’s side.
The former Liverpool man arrived from Bundesliga side Union Berlin for £17 million in the summer and more than repaid Nottingham Forest for that outlay with his heroics.
6. CHUBA AKPOM
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Akpom had an outstanding season for Middlesbrough in the English Championship, finally fulfilling some of the early promises he displayed while at Arsenal. He finished the campaign with a staggering tally of 29 goals and was deservedly named Championship Player of the Year.
Ultimately, promotion via the playoffs eluded Michael Carrick’s side, but the 27-year-old striker became the first Boro player to win the Golden Boot since John Hickton in the 1970/71 season.
5. GIFT ORBAN
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Since moving to Gent in January, Orban has made the footballing world sit up and take notice. The 20-year-old had an unforgettable first six months with his new club, scoring 20 goals and setting up another two in 22 games.
Despite only joining in the winter, Orban contributed 44 per cent of Gent’s goal total in the 2022/2023 season and finished as the joint-third highest goalscorer in the UEFA Europa Conference League with five goals in six matches.
4. ADEMOLA LOOKMAN
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Lookman had a debut season to remember in Serie A after joining Atalanta following a successful loan spell at Leicester City.
The Super Eagles star took to Serie A like a duck to water, scoring 13 goals and setting up another 8 in 31 league games before a combination of injuries and poor team form on the part of La Dea halted his momentum. Nevertheless, it was still a brilliant first season for Lookman in Italy.
3. SAMUEL CHUKWUEZE
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Chukwueze reminded fans of his quality in the 2022/23 season, scoring 13 goals and recording 11 assists in all competitions for Villarreal. Of that haul, six goals and five assists came in LaLiga, his best return since his debut campaign in 2018/19.
Two of those goals came against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, the second a stunning winner that earned global acclaim. His eye-catching displays saw him voted the LaLiga African MVP for the campaign.
2. TEREM MOFFI
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Moffi had his best season yet, scoring 21 goals in all competitions, with 18 coming in Ligue 1 for two different clubs.
Following his January transfer to Nice, Moffi hit six goals for the Eagles in the league and three in the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL). The highlight of his campaign was two stunning strikes against FC Basel in the quarter-finals, one of which eventually won the UECL goal of the season.
1. VICTOR OSIMHEN
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Osimhen broke record after record in a successful season for Napoli, cementing his place as a god in Naples by spearheading Napoli’s first title since 1990.
The Nigerian striker scored 26 league goals in 31 games to become the first African Capocannoniere and also break George Weah’s record as the continent’s all-time top scorer in Serie A. He also scored five goals in six Champions League games to help Napoli to their best-ever finish in the competition.
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