In England club football, the FA cup is one of the most prestigious trophies a player can win. Founded in 1871, the FA Cup has been around for about 150 years now and over the years, many Nigerian players have won it along with their English teams.
In 2021, Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi won the FA Cup with Leicester after beating Chelsea in the final. To celebrate their victory, we look at other Nigerian players that have achieved the feat. Check out the top Nigerian players that have won the FA Cup.
1. Mikel Obi
In the history of the English FA Cup, Mikel Obi is the most successful player. During his 10 years stay at Chelsea FC – from 2006 to 2016 – the talented midfielder won the FA Cup trophy 3 times. The trophies came in 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2012.
Particularly, Mikel was instrumental in the 2007 FA cup win. The match was against Manchester United and the game went into extra time. Mikel Obi played every minute of the game. Drogba scored the winner during extra time and Mikel gave the pre-assist to Lampard who passed to the Ivorian striker for the goal.
2. Kanu Nwakwo
Kanu Nwakwo is the second most successful Nigerian player in English FA Cup history. The player won the trophy on 3 occassions in 2002, 2003, and 2008. Notably, he finished as a runner up in 2001. What’s most exclusive about Knau Nwakwo’s success in the FA Cup is that he won with different teams.
Kanu won his first two FA Cup trophies with Arsenal. He moved to Portsmouth in 2006 and in the next 2 seasons he won another FA trophy. He single handedly won the trophy for Portsmouth after scoring in the 37th minute.
3. Daniel Amokachi
Daniel Amokachi spent two seasons in England when he signed for Everton in 1994. In his first season with the club, he won an FA Cup trophy which makes him one of the Nigerian players to have lifted it.
The final which was played in the Wembly Stadium was against Manchester United and Everton won by a lone goal. Daniel Amokachi stated the final on the bench and was brought on in the 69th minute. Nevertheless, his two goals in the semi-final took Everton to the final.
4. Victor Moses
Talented Nigerian winger, Victor Moses, won the FA Cup trophy with Chelsea FC just like Mikel Obi. However, he won it in 2018 after his Nigerian-team mate had left the club. Before winning the trophy, Victor Moses finished runner up in 2017.
The final was against Manchester United and it was a tight one. Chelsea managed to win the match with an Eden Hazard’s penalty in the 22nd minute. Throughout the game, Victor Moses played in his RM position and did his best to prevent the MU players from scoring.
5. Celestine Babayaro
Celestine Babyaro is celebrated as a Chelsea legend as he spent most of his career in the London club. He played as a defender and sometimes as a midfielder. He got his FA Cup trophy in 2000 after Chelsea beat Aston Villa in the final by one goal.
In the game, Celestine Bayaro played in his left back position as a defender. The goal came in the 73 minute and was scored by Di Matteo and thus, the game ended after 90 minutes. The Nigerian player was on the pitch the whole time.
6. Alex Iwobi
Alex Iwobi currently plays for Everton. Before then, he played for Arsenal from 2015 to 2019 where he won the FA Cup in 2017. Hence, he’s the second Nigerian player after Kanu Nwankwo to win the FA Cup with the Gunners. The final was played against Chelsea and Arsenal won the game by 2 goals to 1 with goals from Sanchez, Costa, and Ramsey.
In the final game, Iwobi was on the bench and he wasn’t brought on. That same year, Iwobi won the FA Community shield with Arsenal following the FA Cup victory.
7. Kelechi Iheanacho
He’s one of the most recent Nigerian players to win the FA Cup. Senior Man Kelz won the FA Cup with Leicester City FC in 2021 after the team beat Chelsea in the final with one goal to nil. Kelechi Iheanacho started the final and was substituted in the 67th minute.
Prior to the final, the Nigerian forward was very instrumental in Leicester’s journey. He finished as joint scorer in the competition with 4 goals. Notably, his lone goal in the Semi final helped his team get to the final.
8. John Utaka
At number 8 is talented striker John Utaka. John Utaka played alongside Kanu Nwankwo for Portsmouth and like his Nigerian teammate; he won the FA Cup trophy in 2008. Just like Kanu, Utaka was instrumental in the final win.
He gave the assist to his Nigerian teammate for the goal with a sublime cross in the 37th minute. Utaka was substituted in the 69th minute.
9. Wilfred Ndidi
Last on the list is Wilfred Ndidi who like Kelechi Iheanacho won the FA Cup trophy with Leicester in 2021. The player signed for Leicester in the 2016 season and about 5 years later is an FA Cup winner. As mentioned earlier, Leicester City FC beat Chelsea in the final with one goal to nil.
Wilfred Ndidi, unlike his national teammate, was not substituted; he played the full 90 minutes in the central midfield position. This is the first major trophy in the midfielder’s career both for club and country.
Bottom Line
Nigerian players continue to bring smile to the faces of Nigerian football fans both home and abroad. The players listed in this article have played in England and won the FA cup, some on multiple occasions. So, if you were wondering who the top Nigerian players that have won the FA cup were, I’m sure you no know them.