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NEW
AFCON 2025
)
PulseSports30, an annual football ranking that recognises the 30 best-performing Nigerian footballers from across the globe, is back again.
PulseSports30 makes a return for the fourth year, recognising the 30 best-performing Nigerian footballers from the 2024/2025 football season.
A non-discriminatory annual ranking, PulseSports30 considers footballers of Nigerian heritage who performed excellently either in Africa, Asia, Europe, North/South America, or Oceania.
Every day, we will reveal a batch of five players who made our list until we get to number one.
We continue this year's ranking by revealing players ranked between 6-10
10. Raphael Onyedika
)
Raphael Onyedika is steadily establishing himself as one of the best midfield talents in the Super Eagles ranks.
He had another excellent season for Club Brugge, winning the Belgian Cup. They came second in the league and reached the Round of 16, knocking out Ademola Lookman's Atalanta to get there.
Onyedika also scored his first goal for the Super Eagles during the period in review, giving Nigeria the lead before the eventual 2-1 defeat to Benin Republic during the World Cup qualifier at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny.
9. Christantus Uche
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Chrisantus Uche’s debut season will go down as one of the most impactful in modern LALIGA history. While he did not score as many as Jude Bellingham did in his first season in the Spanish top flight, Getafe’s coach, Jose Bordalas, must have had an equal amount of satisfaction as Carlo Ancelotti did with Bellingham, given how useful Uche proved.
Originally a midfielder, the Nigerian played a variety of positions for the Azules. Last season for Getafe, he played in centre midfield, attacking midfield, and even as a striker.
He had the most goal contributions for Bordalas's side last season (10), with four goals and six assists. He also secured his Super Eagles debut.
8. Alex Iwobi
)
Iwobi was one of the standout players in the Premier League last season, regularly popping up with big goals and assists for Fulham in their bid to qualify for Europe.
They fell short in the end, but Iwobi’s stock continued to rise, as he proved himself invaluable to manager Marco Silva.
He finished the season with 9 goals and 6 assists, his highest ever return, and was narrowly pipped to the club’s player of the season by fellow Nigerian Calvin Bassey.
7. Moses Simon
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While Moses Simon, who has since moved to Paris FC from Nantes, continues to divide opinion among Super Eagles fans, the winger has consistently been one of the leading wide men in Ligue 1.
Simon was a pivotal figure for Nantes in 2024-25, scoring eight times and assisting 10, and his 18 goal involvements placed him in the division's top 10, nine adrift of PSG's Ousmane Dembele (27).
The winger's inclination to carry the ball aggressively and be direct in possession helped to unlock defences, and the 29-year-old ended the season having been involved in 46% of Nantes' 39 goals as the Canaries finished 13th on 36 points, six clear of relegation.
6. Calvin Bassey
)
Calvin Bassey played a crucial role in Fulham's 2024–25 season, appearing in 35 out of 38 Premier League matches and contributing to their 11th-place finish.
The Super Eagles defender was named Player of the Season for Fulham, making him the first African and Nigerian to receive the award, a testament to his consistent performance and significant presence.
Bassey demonstrated his crucial impact in significant matches, notably scoring in Fulham’s 2–1 Premier League victory against Nottingham Forest. He also netted the opening goal in their memorable FA Cup win over Manchester United.
Statistically, he was one of the Premier League's most comprehensive centre-backs. He averaged 0.6 interceptions, 1.5 tackles, 4.8 ball recoveries, and 3.2 clearances per game, committing only one error that led to a goal.