Super Eagles striker Paul Onuachu heads into Trabzonspor’s final Turkish Süper Lig fixture against Gençlerbirliği on Sunday (today) one step away from becoming the first Nigerian player to win the Super Lig Golden Boot while representing the Black Sea club.
Onuachu leads the scoring charts with 22 goals in 33 league appearances, one ahead of his nearest rival, Eldor Shomurodov of Istanbul Başakşehir. Should Onuachu finish top of the scoring charts after Sunday’s final round of matches, he will become only the sixth Trabzonspor player in history to end a season as the league’s leading scorer, joining an elite group that includes Necmi Perekli, Hami Mandıralı, Fatih Tekke, Burak Yılmaz and Alexander Sörloth. Tekke, who holds that distinction from his playing days, is now Onuachu’s manager.
The Nigerian’s campaign has been exceptional. He scored in 10 consecutive Süper Lig matches earlier in the season, a feat no Trabzonspor player had achieved in 33 years, and his 22 league goals account for roughly a third of the club’s total output. He could also break Shota Arveladze’s all-time single-season record of 25 goals for the club, set in 1995/96.
Several Nigerians have represented Trabzonspor over the years, including John Obi Mikel, Ogenyi Onazi, Anthony Nwakaeme and Isaac Promise. Nwakaeme, the club’s highest-scoring Nigerian with 50 goals in 192 appearances, never finished as the league’s top scorer. Onuachu now stands on the brink of that milestone.
Sunday’s encounter at Papara Park carries additional significance beyond individual accolades. Gençlerbirliği arrive needing a win to guarantee their Super Lig survival, with Antalyaspor two points behind and threatening to overtake them if results go against the Ankara side. Trabzonspor, already confirmed in third place and assured of European football next season, will have one eye on the Turkish Cup final against Konyaspor, which Tekke may use as justification to rotate his squad.
Onuachu’s future is also the subject of growing transfer speculation. Fenerbahçe have reportedly identified the striker as their primary attacking target this summer and are said to be preparing an offer that could include around €10m plus two Turkish internationals.
Trabzonspor, however, only signed Onuachu permanently from Southampton last summer and are believed to value him at around €15m. The fierce rivalry between the two clubs is also likely to complicate any potential deal, with a sale to a domestic rival almost certain to provoke a backlash from Trabzonspor supporters.
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