Henry Onyekuru

Henry Onyekuru
Personal information
Full name	Henry Chukwuemeka Onyekuru
Date of birth	5 June 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth	Lagos, Nigeria
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Winger
Team information
Current team	Al-Fayha
Number	7
Youth career
2010–2015	Aspire Academy
Senior career*
Years	Team
2015–2017	Eupen
2017–2019	Everton
2017–2018	→ Anderlecht (loan)
2018–2019	→ Galatasaray (loan)
2019–2021	Monaco
2020	→ Galatasaray (loan)
2021	→ Galatasaray (loan)
2021–2023	Olympiacos
2022–2023	→ Adana Demirspor (loan)
2023	Adana Demirspor
2023–	Al-Fayha
International career‡
2017–2022	Nigeria
Medal record
Africa Cup of Nations
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15 March 2024; ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19 January 2022

Henry Chukwuemeka Onyekuru (born 5 June 1997) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Saudi Pro League club Al-Fayha, and the Nigeria national team.^[2]

Club career

Eupen

Onyekuru began his football career with the Aspire Academy in 2010, and graduated in 2015 joining their partner club, K.A.S. Eupen.^[3] He made his debut for Eupen on 5 September 2015 in a 2–2 tie against K.F.C. Dessel Sport in the Belgian Second Division.^[4] Onyekuru helped the team get promoted to the Belgian First Division A in his debut season, and made his professional debut in a 3–0 loss on 30 July 2016 against S.V. Zulte Waregem.^[5] After a successful season in the Belgium first division, Onyekuru finished as one of the top scorers in the league, catching the attention of various larger teams in Europe.^[6] He finished the 2016–17 season as joint top-scorer with 22 goals, but the trophy was handed to Łukasz Teodorczyk as he scored more away goals than Onyekuru.^[7]

Everton

On 30 June 2017, Onyekuru joined Everton for £7 million and was immediately sent on loan to Anderlecht.^[8] Onyekuru had been handed the number nine jersey at Anderlecht for the 2017–18 campaign.^[9]

Having scored 10 goals in 28 matches for Anderlecht, Onyekuru suffered a knee ligament injury in December which would require surgery. Anderlecht announced surgery would be necessary and that he would be out of action "for several months".^[10] In January 2018, it was reported that Onyekuru would return to Anderlecht after rehabilitation and full recovery.^[11]

Loan to Galatasaray

In July 2018, Onyekuru joined Galatasaray on a season-long loan.^[12] The loan fee paid to Everton was reported as £700,000.^[13] On 20 May 2019, Onyekuru was on the scoresheet for Galatasaray as they defeated title challengers İstanbul Başakşehir 2–1 to secure the Süper Lig championship for the second straight season.^[14] The victory also meant that Galatasaray secured the domestic double having defeated Akhisar Belediyespor in the Turkish Cup final the week prior.^[14]^[15]^[16]

Monaco

Having failed to ever secure a work permit in the UK, Onyekuru joined AS Monaco on a permanent transfer on 12 August 2019.^[17]^[18] The fee was undisclosed (rumoured to be between £12-£15 million) and Onyekuru signed a five-year deal with the Ligue 1 club.^[19]

Return to Galatasaray on loan

On 5 January 2020, Onyekuru signed for Galatasaray, his former club, on a six-month loan with no option to buy.^[20] He left after his loan ended in June, making a total of twelve appearances and scoring one goal.^[21]

On 25 January 2021, Onyekuru once again signed for Galatasaray on a six-month loan, this time with an option to buy.^[22]^[23]

Olympiacos

On 2 August 2021, Olympiacos announced the signing of Onyekuru for a four-year deal for an undisclosed amount.^[24]

Al-Fayha

On 11 August 2023, Onyekuru joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Fayha on a two-year contract.^[25]

International career

Onyekuru was called up for the Super Eagles camp in May 2017.^[26] He made his senior debut for Nigeria in a 3–0 friendly win over Togo on 1 June 2017.^[27]

After a strong 2018–19 club season with Galatasaray, Onyekuru was included in Nigeria's final 23-man squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.^[28]^[29] He played for 12 minutes at the finals, coming on as a late substitute in their 1–2 semi-final defeat to eventual champions Algeria.^[30]^[31]

Onyekuru was invited by the national coach as part of the squad to face Ukraine in an international friendly on the 10 of September 2019.^[32]^[33]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 15 March 2024^[34]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup^[a]		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Eupen	2015–16	Belgian Second Division	19	6	0	0	—		—		19	6
	2016–17	Belgian Pro League	38	22	3	2	—		—		41	24
	Total		57	28	3	2	—		—		60	30
Everton	2017–18	Premier League	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
Anderlecht (loan)	2017–18	Belgian Pro League	19	9	2	1	6^[b]	0	1^[c]	0	28	10
Galatasaray (loan)	2018–19	Süper Lig	31	14	6	2	7^[d]	0	0	0	44	16
Monaco	2019–20	Ligue 1	4	0	0	0	—		—		4	0
	2020–21	Ligue 1	4	0	0	0	—		—		4	0
	Total		8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
Galatasaray (loan)	2019–20	Süper Lig	10	1	2	0	—		—		12	1
	2020–21	Süper Lig	14	5	1	0	—		—		15	5
	Total		24	6	3	0	—		—		27	6
Olympiacos	2021–22	Super League Greece	14	0	3	0	10^[e]	1	—		27	1
Adana Demirspor (loan)	2022–23	Süper Lig	18	8	2	0	—		—		20	8
Al-Fayha	2023–24	Saudi Pro League	24	10	1	0	6^[f]	1	—		31	11
Career total			195	75	20	5	29	2	1	0	245	82

^ Includes Belgian Cup, Turkish Cup, Greek Football Cup, King Cup
^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
^ Appearances in Belgian Super Cup
^ Five appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
^ Appearances in AFC Champions League

International

As of match played on 19 January 2022^[35]

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Nigeria	2017	1	0
	2018	6	0
	2019	5	1
	2020	0	0
	2021	2	0
	2022	1	0
Total		15	1

As of goal scored 22 March 2019

Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Onyekuru goal.^[35]

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	22 March 2019	Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba, Nigeria	Seychelles	2–1	3–1	2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

Honours

Anderlecht

Belgian Super Cup: 2017

Galatasaray

Olympiacos

Super League Greece: 2021–22

References

^ "Premier League Clubs submit Squad Lists". Premier League. Retrieved 10 September 2017.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ Oguntimehin, Ayomide (5 August 2023). "Saudi Pro League: Al-Fayha eyes Super Eagles winger with lucrative offer, joining Anthony Nwakaeme as teammates - Soccernet NG". Soccernet.ng. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
^ PageOne (5 January 2017). "Henry Onyekuru - From National Stadium to Stardom - PageOne.ng".
^ "Dessel Sport vs. AS Eupen - 5 september 2015 - Soccerway". Soccerway.
^ "Zulte-Waregem vs. AS Eupen - 30 juli 2016 - Soccerway". Soccerway.
^ "Celtic, RB Leipzig eyeing KAS Eupen's Henry Onyekuru - Sources".
^ "Łukasz Teodorczyk królem strzelców". www.90minut.pl.
^ "Henry Onyekuru: Everton sign Nigeria striker and loan him to Anderlecht". BBC Sport. 30 June 2017.
^ "Incoming Everton striker Onyekuru handed new squad number". LiverpoolEcho. 28 June 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
^ "Everton Youngster Onyekuru Set for 8-Month Spell on Sidelines With Knee Injury". Sports Illustrated. 29 December 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
^ "Onyekuru returns to Anderlecht after recovery from Injury". The Guardian (Nigeria). 23 January 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
^ "Henry Onyekuru: Everton striker joins Galatasaray on loan". BBC Sport. 12 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
^ "Everton's Henry Onyekuru joins Galatasaray on season-long loan". Sky Sports. 12 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Nigeria striker Onyekuru thankful for Galatasaray double". BBC Sport. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
^ "AKHİSARSPOR 1:3 GALATASARAY A.Ş." (in Turkish). TFF. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
^ "Onyekuru named fastest player in Turkish Super Lig".
^ "Henry Onyekuru: Everton sell Nigeria forward to Monaco". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
^ "Everton agree fee to sell striker on a permanent deal". SB Nation. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
^ "Henry Onyekuru: Monaco sign Everton forward on five-year deal". Goal. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
^ "Official | Galatasaray sign Henry Onyekuru on loan until the end of the season". Get French Football news. 5 January 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
^ Enes Calli, Muhammed (4 July 2020). "Henry Onyekuru leaves Galatasaray". AA.com. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
^ "Yuvana hoş geldin Henry Onyekuru" [Welcome home Henry Onyekuru]. www.galatasaray.org (in Turkish). 25 January 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
^ "Onyekuru eager to extend Galatasaray stay".
^ "Ο Ονιεκουρού στον Ολυμπιακό μέχρι το 2025". ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΟΣ - Olympiacos.org (in Greek). 1 August 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
^ "النيجيري هنري اونيكورو فيحاوي حتى 2025م". Archived from the original on 12 August 2023.
^ "Onyekuru gets Nigeria call". ESPNFC.com. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
^ "Internationals (Sky Sports)". SkySports.
^ "Nigeria announce provisional AFCON squad". Sport 24. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
^ "Nigeria name final 23-man Africa Cup of Nations squad". KingFut. 10 June 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
^ "Osimhen, Onyekuru battle to replace Ighalo". Vanguard News. 27 July 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
^ "Riyad Mahrez scored a last-second, stoppage-time free-kick to send Algeria into Friday's final against Senegal". The Guardian. 14 July 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
^ Fowowe, Solomon (14 August 2019). "Rohr invites two new players for Ukraine friendly". Retrieved 10 July 2020.
^ "Rohr explains decision to leave Onyekuru on bench".
^ Henry Onyekuru at Soccerway. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Henry Onyekuru". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 9 January 2023.

External links

Henry Onyekuru at the Turkish Football Federation
Henry Onyekuru at National-Football-Teams.com
Henry Onyekuru at www.mackolik.com (in Turkish)
Henry Onyekuru at Soccerway
Profile at the Everton F.C. website
Onyekuru Eupen Profile
Onyekuru Maxifoot Profile

[35] Includes Belgian Cup, Turkish Cup, Greek Football Cup, King Cup

[UCL-36] Appearances in UEFA Champions League

[BSC-37] Appearances in Belgian Super Cup

[38] Five appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League

[UEL-39] Appearances in UEFA Europa League

[40] Appearances in AFC Champions League

[PL-1] "Premier League Clubs submit Squad Lists". Premier League. Retrieved 10 September 2017.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[2] Oguntimehin, Ayomide (5 August 2023). "Saudi Pro League: Al-Fayha eyes Super Eagles winger with lucrative offer, joining Anthony Nwakaeme as teammates - Soccernet NG". Soccernet.ng. Retrieved 14 June 2024.

[3] PageOne (5 January 2017). "Henry Onyekuru - From National Stadium to Stardom - PageOne.ng".

[4] "Dessel Sport vs. AS Eupen - 5 september 2015 - Soccerway". Soccerway.

[5] "Zulte-Waregem vs. AS Eupen - 30 juli 2016 - Soccerway". Soccerway.

[6] "Celtic, RB Leipzig eyeing KAS Eupen's Henry Onyekuru - Sources".

[7] "Łukasz Teodorczyk królem strzelców". www.90minut.pl.

[8] "Henry Onyekuru: Everton sign Nigeria striker and loan him to Anderlecht". BBC Sport. 30 June 2017.

[9] "Incoming Everton striker Onyekuru handed new squad number". LiverpoolEcho. 28 June 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2017.

[10] "Everton Youngster Onyekuru Set for 8-Month Spell on Sidelines With Knee Injury". Sports Illustrated. 29 December 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2018.

[11] "Onyekuru returns to Anderlecht after recovery from Injury". The Guardian (Nigeria). 23 January 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2018.

[12] "Henry Onyekuru: Everton striker joins Galatasaray on loan". BBC Sport. 12 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.

[13] "Everton's Henry Onyekuru joins Galatasaray on season-long loan". Sky Sports. 12 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.

[SuperLig-14] "Nigeria striker Onyekuru thankful for Galatasaray double". BBC Sport. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.

[15] "AKHİSARSPOR 1:3 GALATASARAY A.Ş." (in Turkish). TFF. Retrieved 7 August 2019.

[16] "Onyekuru named fastest player in Turkish Super Lig".

[17] "Henry Onyekuru: Everton sell Nigeria forward to Monaco". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 August 2019.

[18] "Everton agree fee to sell striker on a permanent deal". SB Nation. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2019.

[GoalMonaco-19] "Henry Onyekuru: Monaco sign Everton forward on five-year deal". Goal. Retrieved 12 August 2019.

[20] "Official | Galatasaray sign Henry Onyekuru on loan until the end of the season". Get French Football news. 5 January 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2021.

[21] Enes Calli, Muhammed (4 July 2020). "Henry Onyekuru leaves Galatasaray". AA.com. Retrieved 23 January 2021.

[22] "Yuvana hoş geldin Henry Onyekuru" [Welcome home Henry Onyekuru]. www.galatasaray.org (in Turkish). 25 January 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.

[23] "Onyekuru eager to extend Galatasaray stay".

[24] "Ο Ονιεκουρού στον Ολυμπιακό μέχρι το 2025". ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΟΣ - Olympiacos.org (in Greek). 1 August 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.

[25] "النيجيري هنري اونيكورو فيحاوي حتى 2025م". Archived from the original on 12 August 2023.

[26] "Onyekuru gets Nigeria call". ESPNFC.com. Retrieved 14 May 2018.

[27] "Internationals (Sky Sports)". SkySports.

[28] "Nigeria announce provisional AFCON squad". Sport 24. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.

[29] "Nigeria name final 23-man Africa Cup of Nations squad". KingFut. 10 June 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.

[30] "Osimhen, Onyekuru battle to replace Ighalo". Vanguard News. 27 July 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.

[31] "Riyad Mahrez scored a last-second, stoppage-time free-kick to send Algeria into Friday's final against Senegal". The Guardian. 14 July 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2019.

[32] Fowowe, Solomon (14 August 2019). "Rohr invites two new players for Ukraine friendly". Retrieved 10 July 2020.

[33] "Rohr explains decision to leave Onyekuru on bench".

[34] Henry Onyekuru at Soccerway. Retrieved 9 January 2023.

[NFT-41] "Henry Onyekuru". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 9 January 2023.

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