10 Nigerian stars to watch out for in 2016 (+Photos)

Nigerian stars to watch out for in 2016 - The year 2015 has had it its ups and downs, but one thing positive is that many youngsters came through the ranks to showcase their talents. We present to you ten rising stars that really outdid themselves and are ready to stun the sporting world in 2016. More..

Top 10 countries with the strongest army in the world 2015 How to get a girl to kiss you by arousing her Top 10 Nollywood actresses who are in their second/third marriage (With Pics) Hottest students in Redeemers University for 2015 – Male & Female (With Pics) Victor Osimhen One name that was on everyone’s lips is this young lad Victor Osimhen following his exploits at the FIFA U-17 World Cup which the Golden Eaglets emerged as champions. Victor Osimhen set the record as the highest-ever goal scorer in an U-17 World Cup Tournament after usurping French football player Florent Sinama Pongolle and Ivorian Souleymane Coulibaly in the record books. Osimhen strikes a shot into the net to put Nigeria ahead against Mali at Chile 2015

Osimhen is also the first player to have scored in every match he played in the history of the 30-year-old competition. He won the Golden Boot (highest goal scorer) as well as the Silver Ball making him the 2nd best player at the tournament. Navigate using arrows below Kelechi Nwakali Nwakali who is a target of top teams in the English Premiership scooped the Most Valuable Player award at the FIFA U-17 World Cup. He also won the Bronze Boot after scoring three goals, but had his award withdrawn by FIFA and re-awarded to his compatriot Samuel Chukwueze after the world football governing body claimed a mistake. Nwakali (middle), Osimhen (right) as they both won the Golden and bronze boots respectively

Coach Emmanuel Amuneke once described the captain of the Golden Eaglets, Kelechi Nwakali, as another gift from God to Nigeria. Oluwatobiloba Ayomide Amusan Many have tipped her as the next big thing after Blessing Okagbare. The 18-year-old claimed gold in the 100 metres hurdles event at the 2015 African Junior Athletics Championships in Addis Ababa. In 2015, while making her All-Africa Games debut, she won gold in the 100 metres hurdles event at the 2015 All-Africa Games.

Mariam Usman Nigeria’s Mariam Usman added her name to the medal list at Brazzaville 2015 All Africa Games in weightlifting by picking three silver medals in 75kg for women. She won gold in the same category at the last Commonwealth games in Glasgow.

Al-Farouq Ajiede Aminu Although not a newcomer, Al-Farouq Ajiede Aminu had a big year after winning the 2015 FIBA Africa Championship (AfroBasket) with the D’Tigers for the first time in Tunisia following a 74–65 over Angola. With his teammate Chamberlain Oguchi being named the Most Valuable Player and also the best three pointer of the tournament, Aminu was named in the All-Star Five of the 2015 Afrobasket. The 25-year-old NBA star on July 9, 2015, signed a four-year mouth-watering $30 million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. He also took part in the National Basketball Association (NBA) Africa Game 2015 exhibition basketball game played on August 1, 2015 in Ellis Park Arena, which is located in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was the first NBA game, and the first game involving any major North American professional sports league, to take place on the continent of Africa. It was contested between NBA players and alumni that were born in Africa or had parents born in the continent and players from the rest of the world. Aminu was born in the United States, but his parents are from Nigeria.

Taiwo Awoniyi This young lad moved from his marginal role at the 2013 Under-17 world youth championship to being an integral part of the Under-20s in qualifying games and at the tournament proper. He finally cementing his position as Nigeria’s top teen with a brace against Zambia to qualify Nigeria for the All Africa Games after he was drafted to the team following a 0-0 draw at home in the first leg. Taiwo Awoniyi has been a special revelation this year. Everyone watched with awesome wonder how the young lanky striker has matured into a top notch footballer. Awoniyi scored 6 goals to win both the highest goal scorer and the most valuable player (MVP) at the Super 6 tournament in February. In March, he spearheaded the strike force of Nigeria’s U20 team, Flying Eagles, to win CAF African U20 Championship in Senegal. He scored 3 goals to become the second highest goal scorer, behind his captain, Muhammad Musa. Although Awoniyi couldn’t help Nigeria’s Flying Eagles at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand, after his team conceded a 19th minute goal to lose 0-1 to Germany in the Round of 16. This however didn’t stop Liverpool from signing this young lad on transfer day deadline. The 18-year-old joined the Reds having previously represented Imperial Academy in Nigeria. Awoniyi immediately joined 2 Bundesliga side FSV Frankfurt on loan. He also played a part in the Nigeria’s Dream Team VI success at the just concluded AFCON U-23 championship where Nigeria won the cup and qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympics. Kelechi Iheanacho The Manchester city forward has been labelled by some as the next big thing to emerge from African football. He has had a phenomenal 2015, scoring 5 goals so far for Man City and securing his place in the team’s senior squad. His most recent goal came in Man City 2-1 win over Swansea over the weekend. He was included in the 40-man strong shortlist to be crowned as Europe’s best young player. Iheanacho has been hugging the headlines in recent times. The Golden Boy Award is reserved for players under the age of 21 and the winner of the award, voted for by journalists from 30 newspapers around the world, will be announced in December. Asisat Oshoala Nigeria and Liverpool forward Asisat Oshoala was named as the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year. The 20-year-old forward is the first player to win the new award from the BBC World Service, voted for by football fans around the world. Oshoala, who was the youngest player to be shortlisted, was the leading scorer at the Under-20s World Cup in Canada last summer and was voted the tournament’s best player. Her performances led Nigeria to the final, where they were narrowly beaten by Germany. The 20-year-old signed for Liverpool Ladies in January 2015, becoming the first African to feature in the Women’s Super League, with manager Matt Beard calling her “one of the world’s top young footballers”. Oghenekaro Etebo If you an ardent follower of the Nigeria Professional Football League then you should be familiar with this young lad Oghenekaro Etebo. The Warri Wolves midfielder had a very successful 2014/2015 season helping his team clinch a continental ticket and a second place finish in the league. Etebo’s fine form earned him a place in coach Samson Siaisia’s Dream Team VI squad for the AFCON U-23 championship in Senegal. He will go on to repay the trust by bagging five goals on the road to success, with two of his goals coming in the final game against Algeria. Odion Ighalo This is one man that perhaps had the best of the year. He has already smashed some couple of records with only 16 games played in the season. He is the first Watford player to reach double figures for goals in a single Premier League season and the as the top scorer in English football with 26 goals in 2015, one better of Harry Kane. Odion Ighalo is a rarity among modern footballers, being both deeply religious and motivated by ambition rather than money as he waved off a big money move to Asia before the start of the season. The Watford striker also has the rare gift of being able to score goals at the highest level, as he proved in Norway, Italy and Spain before arriving in England in the summer of 2014. = Naij CLICK HERE to join our BBM Channel for faster updates TOP POSTS YESTERDAY Mother-Daughter Duos: Top celebrity mums and their pretty daughters 10 things you should never say to a guy while making love 15 Nigerian artistes that disappointed us in 2015 (With Pictures) Hottest freshers in Babcock University – Male & Female (Photos) 10 players destroyed by Jose Mourinho (With Pictures) 10 most shocking final words of criminals (+Pictures) Hottest freshers in Covenant University – Male & Female (With Photos) 10 most expensive mobile phones in the world (Photos) Ghanaian celebrities and their new cars – See who’s got the most expensive (With Pictures) Meet the 7 top Yoruba actresses and their adorable kids (With Photos) Mavin’s star Di’Ja secretly marries – See photos & video from the wedding 10 weird facts about left-handed people you never knew – This will shock you real bad!

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