The biggest leagues in Europe and Asia have played their final matches of the 2023/24 season, bringing another exhilarating campaign to a close.
No Nigerian player was involved as PSG, Manchester City, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid were crowned champions of France, England, Italy, and Spain, respectively.
However, Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella played crucial roles as Bayer Leverkusen secured the club’s first German Bundesliga and DFB Pokal titles.
Several other Nigerian stars made their impact felt at different clubs around the world, making this year’s Nigeria Team of the Season selection another difficult task.
However, it is settled, and here is your Soccernet.ng‘s Nigeria Best XI of the 2023/24 campaign.
GK: Stanley Nwabali, Chippa United
Stanley Nwabali will never forget the 2023/24 season as the period when his career received the biggest boost of his life.
An ever-present in the Chippa United squad since joining the side in 2022, Nwabali became the toast of all Nigerians during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.
He helped Nigeria to win a silver medal at that AFCON and narrowly missed out on the Best Goalkeeper award.
Maduka Okoye’s excellent performances to help Udinese beat relegation are worthy of note, but Nwabali takes this one following an unforgettable year.
RB: Bright Osayi-Samuel, Fenerbahce
Osayi-Samuel delivered one brilliant display after another as an excellent Fenerbahce chased Galatasaray for the entire Turkish league campaign.
Ultimately, Fener fell short, despite garnering an incredible 99 points, as Gala won the Super Lig title with 102 points.
Still, it casts no shadow on the shine of Osayi-Samuel, who registered four goals and six assists this term from his full-back position.
CB: Calvin Bassey, Fulham
Having played a significant part of his early professional career as a left-back, Calvin Bassey is settling down in his new role as a centre-back.
He struggled with it at Ajax, but his first season at Fulham could not have gone any better.
A physical monster with an assured left foot, Bassey dominated many opposing strikers and helped the Cottagers keep 10 clean sheets and finish in a respectable 13th position.
Bassey crowned his campaign with a crucial goal in Fulham’s stunning 2-1 win over Manchester United, where teammate Alex Iwobi netted the winning goal in stoppage time.
CB: Igoh Ogbu, Slavia Prague
Igoh Ogbu narrowly missed out on Nigeria’s AFCON squad in December, having been one of the country’s best defenders in Europe up until that time.
Ogbu was the top man in defence as Slavia Prague beat Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma in November and made the Europa League’s Team of the Week.
The 24-year-old centre-back was a rock in the heart of the defense as his Slavia, for the second season in a row, finished second behind Sparta Prague in the Czech Republic top flight.
A no-nonsense tackler in the mold of Taribo West, he grabs this spot ahead of Semi Ajayi and Kenneth Omeruo.
LB: Ola Aina, Nottingham Forest
Ola Aina has established himself as Nigeria’s first-choice right back.
However, he comes into this Best XI selection as a left-back as Zaidu Sanusi, Jamilu Collins, and Bruno Onyemaechi endured an underwhelming campaign.
Ola Aina played as a left-back in 12 of his 22 league appearances for Nottingham Forest this term and was one of those who helped the Reds avoid relegation from the Premier League.
CM: Wilfred Ndidi, Leicester City
Known for his ball-winning nous, Wilfred Ndidi became an all-round midfielder under Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca in the Championship.
Gone are the days when you only saw the best of Ndidi when the Foxes were out of possession.
This season, Ndidi showed intelligent movements, made astute use of the ball, delivered more passes in the final third of the pitch, created more assists, and scored more goals than at any other time since he landed in England.
A midfield dynamo, Ndidi featured in 32 league games as Leicester City won the Championship title and gained promotion straight back to the Premier League.
Honourable mention to Raphael Onyedika, who won the Belgian league title with Club Brugge.
CM: Peter Olayinka, Red Star Belgrade
Peter Olayinka left Slavia Prague for Serbia’s Red Star Belgrade last year after a successful spell in the Czech Republic.
An excellent attacker with a good eye for goal, Olayinka found the net 12 times and notched seven assists in his first season at Red Star Belgrade.
His goals were not for nothing, as they helped the Red-and-Whites win the league and cup double.
Alex Iwobi, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, and Ibrahim Olawoyin all deserve a mention for their displays, but Olayinka gets the nod here.
RW: Victor Boniface, Bayer Leverkusen
Another of the country’s breakout stars this season, Victor Boniface finished as Nigeria’s highest-scoring forward in the European circuit in only his first season in Germany.
Boniface put together 21 goals and nine assists to power Bayer Leverkusen to a first Bundesliga and German Cup double.
The club also reached the final of the Europa League, losing only once in 52 matches across all competitions.
Boniface was named the Bundesliga Rookie of the Year, having won the Rookie of the Month four times during the campaign.
LW: Ademola Lookman, Atalanta BC
Ademola Lookman denied Boniface a win that would have made it a perfect campaign for Bayer Leverkusen when he dropped a man-of-the-match display in the final of the Europa League.
The Nigerian winger scored three times – the first by an African – to power underdogs Atalanta to win the Europa League for the first time in their history.
Lookman was also a menace in the Italian Serie A, where he bagged ten goals to help Atalanta finish in the top four.
He has played himself into the top contender for this year’s Africa Footballer of the Year award, especially following his displays at the AFCON.
Lookman was Nigeria’s most efficient attacker, netting three goals and supplying an assist as the Super Eagles reached the AFCON final for the first time in 11 years.
CF: Victor Osimhen, Napoli
A poor campaign for Napoli by all metrics as they lost their Scudetto crown and ended the campaign without qualifying for any of the European competitions.
However, Victor Osimhen was one of the club’s few shining lights in a disappointing campaign as he scored 17 goals and added four assists across 32 games.
The reigning Africa Footballer of the Year also impressed as Nigeria reached the final of the AFCON, losing only to hosts Cote d’Ivoire.
CF: Paul Onuachu, Trabzonspor
Unwanted and underused at Southampton, Paul Onuachu headed to Turkey to join Trabzonspor, and what an adventure it has been.
Onuachu has grown to become a fan favorite at Trabzonspor after he fired goals after goals for the Black Sea Storm.
With Onuachu’s 17 goals and four assists, Trabzonspor finished third in the Super Lig and reached the finals of the Turkish Cup, which they narrowly lost to Besiktas.
The 30-year-old striker will end this season without a trophy, but he would have won the hearts of many in Turkey and even in England.
Paul Onuachu’nun 2.01’lik boyuyla Beşiktaş’a attığı gol. pic.twitter.com/VuRZyLAigY
— Abluka (@ajansAbluka) May 23, 2024
He is set to return to Southampton as the Saints have secured promotion back to the Premier League to give it another go in one of the continent’s most glamorous championships.
Nigeria Team of the Season
GK: Stanley Nwabali
RB: Bright Osayi-Samuel
CB: Calvin Bassey
CB: Igoh Ogbu
LB: Ola Aina
CM: Wilfred Ndidi
CM: Peter Olayinka
RW: Victor Boniface
LW: Ademola Lookman
CF: Victor Osimhen
CF: Paul Onuachu
NB: Which Nigerian player would make your Team of the Season and which one will you not include? Leave your comments below.
Post a Comment