Raphael Onyedika, a Nigerian midfielder, has received his first call-up to the Super Eagles for Tuesday’s international friendly match between Nigeria and Algeria at the Olympic Stadium in Oran.
The 21-year-old was called up by Super Eagles boss Jose Peseiro to replace Southampton’s Joe Aribo for the upcoming friendly against the Desert Foxes after his scorching start to the 2022–23 season for new club, Club Brugge.
Nigerians have already raised their expectations due to the midfielder’s performance in this season’s Champions League group stage matches since joining the Belgian champions from Danish team Midtjylland at the start of the season on a five-year, €10 million deal.
He later ranks as Brugge’s second-most expensive signing ever and has been a key player ever since.
He was fully engaged in last week’s 4-0 UEFA Champions League victory by Brugge over Zaidu Sanusi’s Porto. He also played in the tight 1-0 victory over Leverkusen of Germany.
Onyedika is a versatile player who primarily plays as a central midfielder. He can also play on the right flank, in a holding role, as a deep-lying playmaker, in a box-to-box role, or even as an attacking midfielder. As a result of Wilfried Ndidi’s injury, Peseiro now has a top option in place of him.
Many elite European clubs were interested in him, and he came very close to signing with the Serie A champions AC Milan last summer.
Before joining FC Midtjylland as a young player in 2019, the rising star gained experience at Nigeria’s renowned Ebedei academy, widely considered as the nation’s top platform for the development of talent.
Prior to his breakout year, which saw him become one of the greatest Nigerian performances in Europe last season, he was promoted to the senior team in 2020.
In his first senior season with the Danish powerhouses, the 21-year-old midifeld orchestrator played 48 games overall, contributing four goals and three assists across all competitions.
He completed the deal by helping the team win the domestic cup, taking home the league’s Player of the Month honor in November, and receiving Denmark’s Best Young Player Award for the 2021–2022 season.
Club manager Carl Hoefkens expressed his excitement about welcoming Onyedika to the Jan Breydel Stadium before the agreement to bring Onyedika to Brugge was officially announced.
Hoefkens stated, “I hope to see him (Onyedika) very soon with us, I just want to work with the best players possible. I know his quality, so I’m looking forward to it.”
As he anticipates success with his new team, Club Brugge, Onyedika has disclosed how he finds motivation in Paul Pogba, his Juventus opponent.
There are many physical parallels between the young Super Eagles midfielder and the former Manchester United player, and Onyedika is not surprised given that Pogba is his idol.
“I like to win duels and I am also good with the ball at my feet,” he told Belgium’s Voetbal Nieuws.
“Personally, I look up to Paul Pogba. A lot of people say we look alike, but I just want to be the best version of myself.”
According to Onyedika, choosing to join the Belgian team was an easy decision because they would support him in achieving his goals of winning everything.
According to Onyedika, choosing to join the Belgian team was an easy decision because they would support him in achieving his goals of winning everything.
“I chose Club Brugge because they are the best team in Belgium and because they want to win everything. I also want to win everything, so that’s a good combination. I have also heard that Club Brugge has the best supporters in Belgium.”
