AFCON 2025
Premier League side Everton marked Nigeria’s 66th Independence Day by celebrating seven players who carried the country’s talent through the club across three decades, in both the men’s and women’s teams. Their numbers and moments show how deeply Nigerian football has shaped life at Goodison Park.
Daniel Amokachi started the story in August 1994, when he became the first African to play for Everton after joining from Club Brugge for around £3 million. He made 43 league appearances and scored 10 goals before leaving for Besiktas in 1996. His defining moment came in the 1995 FA Cup semi-final, when he came off the bench against Tottenham and scored twice in a 4-1 win. Everton then beat Manchester United 1-0 at Wembley, and Amokachi, a substitute in the final, became the first Nigerian to win the FA Cup.
Former Super Eagles captain Joseph Yobo arrived in 2002 on loan from Marseille, and Everton made the move permanent the following year. He made 220 Premier League appearances and scored eight goals, and 259 appearances and 10 goals in all competitions, before leaving for Fenerbahçe in 2010. He anchored the back line through the club’s Champions League qualification push, and he finished his international career as one of Nigeria’s most cappeplayersers with 101 appearances.
Victor Anichebe came through the Everton academy and made his debut as a late substitute in an FA Cup tie against Chelsea in January 2006. He made 131 Premier League appearances and scored 18 goals before joining West Bromwich Albion in September 2013. Supporters voted him Young Player of the Season for 2007-08, and he overcame a long injury lay-off to become a regular first-team striker under David Moyes.
Yakubu Aiyegbeni signed from Middlesbrough in August 2007 for a then club-record £11.25 million, and he scored on his league debut at Bolton. He hit a hat-trick against Fulham that December and finished his first season with 21 goals in all competitions. Injuries slowed him afterwards, and he left for Blackburn Rovers in 2011 after a loan spell at Leicester. His Everton career closed with 33 goals in 107 appearances, including 25 goals in 82 Premier League games.
Ademola Lookman joined from Charlton Athletic on 5 January 2017 for a fee that could rise to £11 million, and he scored on his debut as a substitute in a 4-0 win over Manchester City. He made 48 appearances and scored four goals for Everton, with a loan spell at RB Leipzig in between, before Leipzig signed him permanently in 2019. His career then took off at Atalanta, where he scored all three goals in the 2024 Europa League final and won the African Footballer of the Year award. He now plays for Atlético Madrid.
Alex Iwobi arrived from Arsenal in August 2019 in a deal worth around £35 million, and he scored on his first start, in a League Cup tie at Lincoln. He grew into the team’s most creative outlet, and in 2022-23 he played all 38 Premier League games, set up seven goals and was named Players’ Player of the Season as Everton avoided relegation. He made 123 Premier League appearances, scoring six goals and providing 11 assists, before joining Fulham on 1 September 2023.
Super Falcons midfielder Toni Payne carries the connection into the present. She signed for Everton Women as a free agent from Sevilla in July 2024, and she said joining the WSL had long been “my dream to play in the UK”. She made 22 league appearances in her first season, scoring once and setting up five goals, and followed that with 19 appearances and two assists in 2025-26. Her totals stand at 41 Women’s Super League appearances, one goal and seven assists.
