Super Eagles midfielder Raphael Onyedika says he is relishing a new challenge after completing a blockbuster move to Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt, becoming the sixth Nigerian to play for the German club, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
- +Onyedika relishes Frankfurt challenge
According to a statement announcing the transfer, the 25-year-old joined Frankfurt from Belgian champions Club Brugge on a five-year deal running until June 2031, following in the footsteps of Austin Okocha to become the latest Nigerian to represent the club.
According to a statement announcing the transfer, the 25-year-old joined Frankfurt from Belgian champions Club Brugge on a five-year deal running until June 2031, following in the footsteps of Austin Okocha to become the latest Nigerian to represent the club. He has been handed the number 25 shirt.
“Thank you, God. New chapter, same dream. I’m truly grateful for this opportunity and excited for the challenge ahead,” Onyedika said.
The midfield anchor also delivered a defiant message to his new European rivals in a cinematic unveiling video released by Frankfurt, in which he reflected on his roots and ambitions.
“Some things are not given, you are born into it,” Onyedika said.
“Before the badge, before the name on the shirt, there was an Eagle. Same fire, same passion, different colours. You don’t become an eagle, you just land somewhere new. Always an Eagle.”
Onyedika arrives at Frankfurt as a decorated winner, having lifted two Belgian league titles, the Belgian Cup and the Belgian Super Cup during his time with Brugge, in addition to the Danish Cup won during an earlier spell with FC Midtjylland. He has made 268 senior club appearances in all competitions, including 24 UEFA Champions League outings over the past three seasons, and has also shown remarkable durability.
The 26-cap Super Eagles international was part of Nigeria’s squad at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, an experience Frankfurt board member for sport, Markus Krösche, cited as a factor behind the club’s pursuit of the midfielder 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,” Krösche said. “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.”
Onyedika is expected to make his unofficial Frankfurt debut against Hull City in a pre-season friendly this weekend, before a potential competitive bow against St Tönis 1911/20 in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on August 21.
Meanwhile, Nigeria teammate Victor Boniface could not resist poking fun at Onyedika’s unveiling video, taking to the midfielder’s Instagram comment section to mock the poetic delivery with a one-line jab, “English dey cry.”
