Soccer
Trabzonspor striker Paul Onuachu. Copyright: IMAGO
Super Eagles striker Paul Onuachu is closing in on a major milestone with Trabzonspor ahead of their final Turkish Super Lig match of the season against Genclerbirligi, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Nigerian forward has been in superb form throughout the campaign for the Black Sea Storm and has played a key role in their push for a return to European football.
Onuachu first impressed during his loan spell at Trabzonspor in the 2023–24 season after joining from Premier League side Southampton, scoring 17 goals across all competitions before returning last summer on a permanent deal.
Trabzonspor had missed out on European qualification last season when they finished as low as seventh in the Super Lig. However, they are now on course for a third-place finish and were even in the title race at one stage before a dip in form saw them fall behind Galatasaray and Fenerbahce in the standings.
Soccer Paul Onuachu closing in on Trabzonspor record
Super Eagles forward Paul Onuachu could write his name into Trabzonspor history on Sunday in their clash against Genclerbirligi, rounding off what has been an outstanding individual season.
The Nigerian striker has scored 24 goals in all competitions, including 22 in the Turkish Super Lig, where he currently leads the Golden Boot race. He is ahead of Eldor Shomurodov of Istanbul Basaksehir and Anderson Talisca of Fenerbahce, who have 21 and 19 goals respectively.
Super Eagles star Victor Osimhen is the current holder of the award after scoring 26 goals in his debut season to win it for Galatasaray last term and Onuachu now has the chance to continue Nigeria’s dominance among the league’s top scorers.
If he finishes the season as top scorer, Onuachu would become only the sixth player in Trabzonspor history to achieve the feat, joining the likes of Necmi Perekli, Fatih Tekke, Şota Arveladze, Burak Yılmaz and Alexander Sörloth.
The 31-year-old would also become only the third foreign player in the club’s history to finish as top scorer, following in the footsteps of Arveladze and Sörloth.
The former Genk striker is also closing in on becoming the foreign player with the most goals in a single Süper Lig season for Trabzonspor, with the current record of 25 set by Arveladze in the 1995–96 campaign, while Sörloth scored 24 in the 2019–20 season.
Onuachu, who scored 11 league goals in 10 matches between January and April, has however gone without a goal in his last four league appearances.
But with history within reach, the Nigerian forward will be eager to end the season on a high and secure a place in Trabzonspor’s record books.
Ayomide Oguntimehin
Ayomide Oguntimehin is a CAF-accredited sports journalist and Chief Editor at Soccernet.ng. He has interviewed Super Eagles stars like William Troost-Ekong, Taiwo Awoniyi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Ademola Lookman, and is known for breaking major transfer stories.
Ayomide has worked with Sports Brief, Naija News and served as Social Lead Editor at Legit.ng. He has also featured on Goal, TVC News, Sports Mole, and Milan News24. He holds a Master’s degree and is currently pursuing a PhD. Follow Ayomide on X (formerly Twitter): @ayo_oguntimehin
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