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Pulse Sports reveals the top 10 most influential Nigerian footballers of the year.
Nigeria, a powerhouse in African football, continues to produce footballing talents that capture the world's attention.
As 2023 comes to an end, it's time to shine the spotlight on the top 10 most influential Nigerian footballers who made waves both on and off the pitch this year.
2023 CAF Player of the Year winners Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala have already been named the most influential Nigerian men’s and women’s footballer of the year.
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However, the prolific duo are also joined by some other names who played their own part in putting Nigeria on the map this year.
Pulse Sports reveals the full list of the most influential Nigerian footballers in 2023.
Michelle Alozie
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Alozie’s rise to prominence in such a short time has been truly spectacular.
The 26-year-old winger who has been named the 'sexiest Nigerian female footballer alive' stole hearts at the 2023 FIFAWWC and has seen a significant increase in her social media following over the past 5 months.
The Super Falcons star is the female Nigerian athlete who gained the most followers on social media in 2023, having gained well over 227,000 followers on Instagram alone this year.
Remarkably, the Chicago-born sweetheart has also risen to become one of the most followed African female athletes in the world, constantly topping social media trends over her comments and posts on Instagram.
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18:02 - 01.10.2023
Please marry me — Nigerian men drool over Michelle Alozie's cute Independence Day photo
Nigerians react to Michelle Alozie's Independence day post.
Samuel Chukwueze
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Osimhen’s best friend and Super Eagles of Nigeria winger Samuel Chukwueze, sealed a big move to Serie A giants AC Milan from Villarreal last summer.
In 2023, Chukwueze moved up the ladder on and off the pitch.
He became the fourth most-followed Nigerian footballer on Instagram following his move to Italy, he also rose up the ladder on the payroll to become the third highest-paid Nigerian footballer in 2023.
Off the pitch, Chukwueze severally made the trends over his relationship life as well as his performances for the national team.
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19:33 - 14.09.2023
Chukwueze’s alleged ‘ex-turned-bestie’ celebrates 4 years of friendship with Super Eagles star amid dating rumours
Samuel Chukwueze caused a stir on social media over his love life.
Mikel Obi
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The Super Eagles of Nigeria legend has been on a spilling spree since launching his podcast this year.
A serial winner for club and country, the 36-year-old Chelsea legend named himself the most successful Nigerian footballer in history, sparking widespread debate on social media.
Mikel constantly made the trends over his unfiltered takes on his podcast and stepped out a lot more this year, while giving back to the community.
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07:15 - 17.11.2023
Mikel Obi says African families exploit successful footballers
Mikel said extended family members believe he owes them money and threaten to go to the press if he refuses to help them financially.
Victor Boniface
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Already touted as the best young Nigerian player in 2023, Victor Boniface’s story is one for the books.
The 22-year-old Super Eagles striker earned his first cap for the national team this year, completed a switch to Bayer Leverkusen from Union St Gilloise for a club-record fee, and became the first Nigerian footballer to win the Bundesliga rookie of the month four times in a row.
Following his switch to Germany, Boniface has enjoyed an explosive boost in his social media profile on X and Instagram.
He has so far gained well over 160,000 followers on Meta’s platform, and over 139,000 followers on Elon Musk’s X platform.
Since July, Boniface has consistently trended on social media over his delightful string of displays for his club side.
He is also one of the most active players on social media constantly entertaining his Nigerian supporters with hilarious captions on his posts.
Boniface currently averages 100,000 likes on his posts on Instagram, and 18,000 likes on his posts on X.
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19:06 - 08.12.2023
Victor Boniface owns Bundesliga Rookie of the Month with fourth consecutive victory
Bayer Leverkusen forward Victor Boniface has once again been named as the Bundesliga Rookie of the Month.
Francis Uzoho
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The Super Eagles of Nigeria goalkeeper might have been public enemy no.1 since Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
However, Uzoho didn’t really help his case in winning back the hearts of passionate supporters of the national team following his sub-par performances and horrendous errors in goal for Jose Peseiro’s team.
Uzoho constantly made it to the trends table on the X platform whenever Nigeria had a match.
In fact, aside from Osimhen, no other Super Eagles player generated as many posts as Uzoho did in 2023.
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13:05 - 27.11.2023
E shock me too - Francis Uzoho reacts to the embarrassing goal he conceded against Zimbabwe
Nigeria's goalkeeper Francis Uzoho has a new look after that ill-fated performance against Zimbabwe in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier, WCQ.
Alex Iwobi
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The Super Eagles midfielder-turned-rapper completed a deadline-day switch to Fulham from Everton in the summer transfer window.
Although, Iwobi has only recently started to show why he was brought in to Craven Cottage, his name popped up on trends on several matchdays.
Off the pitch, Iwobi’s lyrical prowess seemed to be the talk of the town whenever he released a snippet.
Pulse Sports reported that the 27-year-old midfielder released a demo-track titled “Hate On Me” which features his former Everton teammate Amadou Onana.
His verse on the song earned him comparisons to buzzing UK rapper Central Cee.
However, Iwobi has enjoyed a pretty decent year and will end 2023 as the highest-paid Nigerian footballer.
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13:07 - 11.10.2023
Alex Iwobi: Super Eagles star compared to Central Cee after showing off insane rap skills
A clip of Alex Iwobi showing off his lyrical prowess has made its way to social media as fans have now compared the Super Eagles star to a famous UK rapper.
Ashleigh Plumptre
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Super Falcons’ Oyinbo sweetheart Ashleigh Plumptre was super impressive for Nigeria at the 2023 FIFAWWC in Australia and New Zealand.
Plumptre who almost didn’t put a foot wrong for the African giants frequently trended on social media this year.
Plumptre also enjoyed a massive boost in her social media following, notably on Instagram, having gained over 59,000 followers on her page between August and November 2023.
She made a switch to Saudi women’s side Al-Ittihad - becoming the first Nigerian female footballer to play in the Saudi League and one of the league’s high-profile signings of 2023.
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18:15 - 16.08.2023
Ashleigh Plumptre: Super Falcons ‘Oyinbo’ star has gained 50,000 followers on Instagram since start of 2023 FIFAWWC
Ashleigh Plumptre is among a number of Super Falcons stars enjoying huge boosts on their social media accounts.
Ademola Lookman
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Lookman has been fully focused on his football and is one of the most underrated attackers in the Super Falcons team.
The talented Atalanta winger has continued in his impressive goalscoring form in the Serie A so far this season.
Lookman notably trended on social media after scoring a goal that seemingly won bets for hundreds of Nigerian punters on the X platform.
He has also enjoyed a slow and steady growth on his social media accounts.
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18:36 - 04.07.2023
Serie A: Ademola Lookman beats Dutch stars to win Atalanta award
Lookman had a debut season to remember in Italy following his move from RB Leipzig last summer.
Top 10 Most Influential Nigerian Footballers of 2023: Full List
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Below is the full list of the most influential Nigerian footballers of the year as ranked by Pulse Sports.
1. Victor Osimhen
2. Asisat Oshoala
3. Michelle Alozie
4. Samuel Chukwueze
5. Mikel Obi
6. Victor Boniface
7. Francis Uzoho
8. Alex Iwobi
9. Ashleigh Plumptre
10. Ademola Lookman
METHODOLOGY
The Pulse Sports ranking of the most influential Nigerian footballers in 2023 is based on a calendar year total of factors such as contributions off the field, followers across major social media platforms, social media trends, social media growth and engagement, jersey and merchandise sales (between January and November).
The information is gathered from publicly accessible databases such as Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok, as well as conversations with industry insiders.
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17:45 - 10.12.2023
Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala: The Most Influential Nigerian Footballers of 2023
Osimhen and Oshoala's impact on and off the field in 2023 has positioned them as the most influential male and female Nigerian footballers of the year respectively.
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