Samuel Chukwueze, a Nigerian winger who plays for Villarreal, is now the fourth Nigerian footballer with the most La Liga appearances in the league’s history.
Chukwueze appeared for Villarreal in their 1-1 Spanish La Liga away draw at Valencia on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, marking the youngster’s 150th La Liga game.
The game was tied in the 72nd minute when Samuel Lino scored for the home team after Nicolas Jackson had given the visitors the lead in the 62nd minute.
Chukwueze was replaced by Gerard Moreno with nine minutes remaining in the game.
The 23-year-old Nigerian star is the fourth Nigerian with more La Liga appearances this season, following Ike Uche, Mutiu Adepoju, and Finidi George.
Uche, who played for various clubs at various levels in Spain over a 13-year period (Recreativo, Getafe, Zaragoza, Villarreal, Granada, and Málaga), made 193 appearances and scored 43 goals, making him the top Nigerian scorer in La Liga.
Adepoju began his career with Real Madrid B and has since played for Racing Santander, Real Sociedad, and Salamanca. He scored 22 La Liga goals during this time.
While playing for Mallorca and Real Betis, Finidi appeared in 165 La Liga games and scored 35 goals.