Nigerian players who won the Champions League

The list of Nigerian players who have won the Champions League is short. Three men have lifted Europe’s top club trophy: Finidi George and Nwankwo Kanu with Ajax in 1995, and John Mikel Obi with Chelsea in 2012. On the women’s side, Asisat Oshoala won it twice with Barcelona. This guide covers each final, explains which Nigerians won Europe’s second-tier trophies, and lists the records Nigerian players hold in the competition. Details come from UEFA, BBC Sport and the official match records, and are correct as of October 2026.

The short answer

• Men’s Champions League winners: Finidi George and Nwankwo Kanu (Ajax, 1995) and John Mikel Obi (Chelsea, 2012).
• Women’s Champions League winner: Asisat Oshoala (Barcelona, 2021 and 2023). She was the first African woman to win the trophy.
• UEFA Cup and Europa League winners: Taribo West and Kanu (Inter, 1998), Mikel (Chelsea, 2013), Chidi Odiah (CSKA Moscow, 2005) and Ademola Lookman (Atalanta, 2024).
• Most Champions League appearances by a Nigerian: Kanu with 60, just ahead of Mikel with 59, according to UEFA.
• Top Nigerian scorer in the competition: Victor Osimhen, with 16 goals.

1995: Finidi and Kanu with Ajax

Louis van Gaal’s young Ajax team beat the holders, AC Milan, 1–0 in Vienna on 24 May 1995. Patrick Kluivert scored the winner five minutes from the end. Finidi George started on the right of Ajax’s attack. Kanu, still a teenager who had joined from Iwuanyanwu Nationale after the 1993 U-17 World Cup, came off the bench early in the second half.

That made the two of them the first Nigerians to win the European Cup in any form. Ajax lost the following year’s final to Juventus on penalties.

2012: Mikel and Chelsea’s night in Munich

Seventeen years later, Mikel started in central midfield for Chelsea against Bayern Munich in Bayern’s own stadium. The final finished 1–1 after extra time, and Chelsea won the shootout 4–3, the club’s first European Cup.

Mikel’s long Chelsea career also brought him a Europa League title in 2013, and UEFA’s records put him one appearance behind Kanu as the Nigerian with the most Champions League matches.

Asisat Oshoala: Africa’s first women’s champion

Oshoala won the UEFA Women’s Champions League with Barcelona in 2021. They beat Chelsea 4–0 in Gothenburg on 16 May 2021, and she came on as a substitute in the second half. She had already made history in the 2019 final, when she was the first African to find the net in a Women’s Champions League final, although Barcelona lost that match to Lyon.

She won the trophy again with Barcelona in 2022–23. Some reports credit her with a third title in 2024, but she had left Barcelona by then: Bay FC in the NWSL announced her signing on 1 February 2024, months before that final, so most honours lists show two. We use two here.

Nigerians who won Europe’s other trophies

• Taribo West and Nwankwo Kanu: UEFA Cup with Inter in 1997–98. Kanu’s honours list includes this title as well as his 1995 Champions League.
• Chidi Odiah: UEFA Cup with CSKA Moscow in 2005.
• John Mikel Obi: Europa League with Chelsea in 2013, a year after his Champions League win.
• Ademola Lookman: Europa League with Atalanta in 2024. He scored a hat-trick in the 3–0 final win over Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin.

Stephen Keshi was the first Nigerian to play in a major UEFA final, for Anderlecht in the 1990 Cup Winners’ Cup final, which they lost.

Nigerian records in the Champions League

UEFA’s own summary of Nigerian performers, last updated in June 2026, picks out these numbers:

• Appearances: Kanu (60) and Mikel (59) lead the list.
• Goals: Osimhen leads with 16, scored for Lille, Napoli and Galatasaray. In November 2025 his hat-trick away to Ajax made him only the second Nigerian, after Yakubu, to score a Champions League hat-trick.
• Winners: Finidi, Kanu and Mikel are still the only Nigerian men with winners’ medals.

Why so few?

One explanation often given is that many of Nigeria’s best players spent their peak years at clubs that rarely reached the late stages of the competition. Paris Saint-Germain, who won the competition in 2025 and 2026, had no Nigerians in those squads. Lookman’s move to Atlético Madrid, which UEFA reports, gives him a chance to join the list.

FAQ

Who was the first Nigerian to win the Champions League?

Finidi George and Nwankwo Kanu, together, with Ajax in 1995.

How many Nigerian players have won the Champions League?

Three men (Finidi, Kanu and Mikel) and one woman (Oshoala).

Has Osimhen won the Champions League?

No. He is the top Nigerian scorer in the competition, but he has never won it.

Which Nigerians have won the Europa League or UEFA Cup?

Taribo West and Nwankwo Kanu (Inter, 1998), Chidi Odiah (2005), John Mikel Obi (2013) and Ademola Lookman (2024). Kanu and Mikel are the only Nigerian men to win both of Europe’s main club trophies.

Did Burna Boy perform at a Champions League final?

Yes. He co-headlined the kick-off show before the 2023 final in Istanbul.

What to watch

With Lookman in Madrid and Osimhen at Galatasaray, the 2026/27 season offers the next chance for a Nigerian to win a medal. Our explainer on the new league-phase format covers how teams qualify for the knockouts.

Related: How the Champions League works: 2026/27 format explained; Nigerian clubs CAF Champions League record: Enyimba and more; Burna Boy’s Apple Music Hall show and NFL Paris halftime. More in our Afrobeats section.

Sources

• UEFA: Top scorers, most appearances, Champions League successes, Nigeria’s most successful UEFA players (updated June 2026)
• UEFA: Anitta and Burna Boy co-headline the 2023 Champions League Final Kick Off Show (June 2023)
• Wikipedia: 1995 UEFA Champions League final, line-ups
• Wikipedia: 2021 UEFA Women’s Champions League final, line-ups