Kelechi Nwakali was Man of the Match for his Portuguese club GD Chaves, Yira Sor scored his first league goals in Belgium, while Gift Orban and Victor Boniface proved their class in their favourite European club competitions.
5.Kelechi Nwakali
The former Golden Eaglets and Flying Eagles skipper is gradually getting his career back on track after it somewhat derailed in Spain. He was Man of the Match for Portuguese club Chaves to ease their relegation worries with an important 2-1 home win over Vizela. He is highly thought of at Chaves having appeared in all their league games thus far and a couple more wins for Chaves will move them away from the drop zone.
4.Yira Sor
The flying winger fired his first two league goals of the season for Genk to draw 2-2 with Gent. A lot was expected of the ex-Flying Eagles star when he moved from Czech club Slavia Praha, but it has taken him some time to prove himself on a consistent level. Genk are in the top bracket in the Belgian league and should their Nigerian wideman deliver on a more regular basis, they will be vying for the top prizes in Belgium this season.
3.Sadiq Umar
The gangling striker is coming into top form in time for the AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire. He fired his second rocket in as many weeks to salvage a point for Real Sociedad after another sensational strike had earned them a 2-1 win against Sevilla the previous week. His long injury layoff is now behind him and it is left to be seen if he could extend club form to the Super Eagles at next month’s AFCON.
2.Gift Orban
He is the leading scorer in his favourite competition – the UEFA Europa Conference League – with five goals after he hit target in a comfortable home win over Zorya of Ukraine. He has now reclaimed a starting XI spot at Gent and he will now be expected to score goals with more regularity. His Belgian club will do well to sell him in the January transfer window should they get a reasonable bid for a player who could blow hot and cold.
1.Victor Boniface
The 22-year-old striker is certainly one of the bargain signings of this past summer and he proved that again by netting the late equaliser for Bayer Leverkusen against Borussia Dortmund to remain unbeaten in the German Bundesliga. He flew in his grandmother from Nigeria to watch him score on the day. This was just days after he scored one of the goals for Leverkusen to advance to the Round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League courtesy of a 2-0 win at BK Hacken of Sweden. He has now scored four goals in his favourite competition. Will he grab a couple more goals to scoop the top scorer award again? Already some of Europe’s top clubs like Juventus and Napoli are looking in his direction on the evidence of what he has shown in Germany.
