Two Nigerian Stars Join Bayern’s Kane, Leverkusen’s Wirtz on Elite List
Two Nigerian stars have emerged among the Bundesliga’s best dribblers after 25 rounds of the 2024-25 season. St. Pauli’s Oladapo Afolayan and Bayer Leverkusen’s Nathan Tella have made the top 50 dribblers list, joining elite names like Florian Wirtz, Harry Kane, and Jamal Musiala, according to Euro Football Rumours. Interestingly, both Musiala and Michael Olise have Nigerian heritage but opted to represent Germany and France at the international level.
Afolayan, who was Bolton Wanderers’ Player of the Season in 2021-22, joined St. Pauli in 2023 and played a key role in their Bundesliga 2 title-winning campaign. While eligible for England, he has pledged his international future to Nigeria and is still awaiting his first Super Eagles call-up. Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen’s Nathan Tella is the only current Super Eagles player on the Bundesliga’s top-50 dribblers list, ranking joint-42nd with 18 successful dribbles, alongside club teammate Jeremie Frimpong. Tella’s dribbling tally is just two fewer than Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane (20), four behind RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons (22), and five short of Bayern’s Leroy Sané (23). However, the 24-year-old will be unable to add to his numbers after suffering an injury that rules him out of Leverkusen’s clash with Stuttgart on Sunday.
St. Pauli winger Afolayan ranks sixth in the league with 43 successful dribbles, cementing his place among the division’s most elusive players. The 27-year-old is outperformed only by Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz (73 dribbles), Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (73), Bayern Munich duo Jamal Musiala (62) and Michael Olise (51), and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Omar Marmoush (46), who joined Manchester City in the winter transfer window. The setback has also forced him to withdraw from Nigeria’s squad for this month’s World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, with Gent defender Jordan Torunarigha called up as his replacement.
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The Super Eagles face Rwanda in Kigali on March 21 before hosting Zimbabwe in Uyo four days later as they continue their push for a 2026 FIFA World Cup spot. Beyond Tella, Afolayan, Olise, and Musiala, several other players with Nigerian roots appear on the Bundesliga dribbling charts. RB Leipzig’s Antonio Nusa, who has a Nigerian father but represents Norway, is ninth with 37 successful dribbles. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi, who plays for Germany, ranks 18th with 27 dribbles. The impressive performances of these Nigerian-connected stars highlight the nation’s footballing influence in one of Europe’s top leagues.
