Nigerian One-Season Heroes: A Journey of Brief Glory

Stories of Nigerian players whose career peaks were short-lived. From glory to oblivion.

Nigeria and "Nottingham Forest" forward Emmanuel Dennis has now officially fallen out of favor at the club. The £20 million signing from "Watford" in 2022, once a Premier League star, now finds himself on the surplus list, excluded from the first-team squad. The slide in Dennis' career mirrors the struggles of other Nigerian players who have burst onto the scene with fantastic performances only to fade away shortly after. We guide you through the journey of Emmanuel Dennis and three other one-season wonders who briefly captured the spotlight but struggled to maintain it.

Emmanuel Dennis arrived at "Watford" in 2021 after challenging times in Belgium and Germany. Despite initial doubts, the Nigerian forward quickly silenced critics, having an outstanding season for the club. He scored 10 goals and provided five assists in 30 league games, making him one of "Watford's" standout players. His efforts, however, weren't enough to keep the club from relegation, but they did secure him a £20 million move to "Nottingham Forest" in 2022. At "Forest", however, Dennis has been all but forgotten. His last appearance for the club came in May 2023 against "Crystal Palace", and since then, he has been loaned out to "Basaksehir" and even returned to "Watford", yet a permanent deal has remained elusive.

According to a recent report by The Athletic, Dennis is the only senior player excluded from "Forest's" first-team, implying that his future lies away from the club. Despite his early promise, Dennis' career now appears at a crossroads, leaving many to wonder if his "Watford" heroics were just a fleeting moment of brilliance.

Simy Nwankwo had an unforgettable 2020/21 season with "Crotone", scoring 20 goals in Serie A, equaling Ciro Immobile's rank for fifth-highest scorer of the season. This Lagos-born striker also set a new record for the most goals by a Nigerian in a single term across Europe's top five leagues, outperforming Yakubu Aiyegbeni's 17-goal record. Simy's performances couldn't save "Crotone" from relegation, but they left their mark, earning him the title of highest Nigerian scorer in Serie A, surpassing Obafemi Martins. However, after that season, Simy's career took a downward spiral; over the last three seasons, he has failed to reach more than five league goals per campaign. Now 32, Simy is a shadow of the striker who once terrified Serie A defenses.

Gift Orban was considered one of Europe's most promising young strikers following an extraordinary 2022/23 season with "KAA Gent", where he scored 20 goals in 22 matches. His prolific form caught the eye of "Olympique Lyon", who signed him for €14 million in January 2024 as a long-term replacement for Alexandre Lacazette. However, Orban's transition to Ligue 1 has been anything but smooth, with the arrival of Georges Mikautadze in 2024/25 pushing him to the fringes of the squad. Now, the 22-year-old has found himself sidelined, unable to replicate the form that made him a sensation in Belgium.

Long before Dennis, Simy, or Orban, there was Gbenga Okunowo. The Nigerian right-back joined "Barcelona" from "Shooting Stars" in 1997 and became part of the first team under Louis van Gaal during the 1998/99 season, helping the Catalan giants secure La Liga. Despite showing potential, Okunowo's career at "Barcelona" was short-lived. Loan spells at "Benfica" and "Badajoz" followed, and by 2001, he had permanently left the club. What ensued was a nomadic career that saw him play in Greece, Romania, Albania, Ukraine, and even the Maldives, before returning to Nigeria in 2012 to play for "Sunshine Stars".