Onyedika sixth Nigerian to join Frankfurt

Super Eagles midfielder Raphael Onyedika has completed his move to Eintracht Frankfurt, following in the footsteps of Austin Okocha to become the sixth Nigerian to play for the German club, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Onyedika joined Frankfurt from Club Brugge, signing a five-year deal that runs until June 2031. He will wear the No. 25 shirt.

Other Nigerians to have signed for the German club in the past are striker Isaac Ojigwe (2002-2004), defender Donald Agu (1998-2000), Nduka Anyanwu (1997-1998) and Henry Isaac (1998-2002).

The midfielder won two league titles, the Belgian Cup and the Belgian Super Cup during his time with Brugge. He also lifted the Danish Cup with FC Midtjylland during his first spell outside Belgium.

Onyedika joins the Bundesliga outfit with considerable experience, having made 268 senior club appearances in all competitions, including 24 UEFA Champions League outings over the past three campaigns.

He has also won 26 senior caps for Nigeria and was part of the Super Eagles squad at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, which is among the reasons the club had been keen to sign him throughout the summer.

“Raphael Onyedika has not only impressed us with his physicality and strategic understanding of the game, but above all with his extraordinary consistency,” said Frankfurt board member for sport Markus Krösche.

“He has been a regular starter in recent years and has won numerous trophies in Belgium. He also boasts valuable international experience. At 25, he still has great potential and is an important building block in terms of the structure of our squad.”

The former Midtjylland man had been linked with a move away from Belgium since last season.

The 25-year-old is expected to make his unofficial debut against Hull City in a pre-season friendly next weekend before potentially making his competitive debut against St. Tönis 1911/20 in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on August 21.