Gift Orban - Nigeria’s latest striking sensation

“He has turned out to be

a stroke of luck”

   - Gent coach Hein Vanhaezebrouck

Oluwashina Okeleji

WORLD SOCCER - June 2023

Nigeria’s wealth of options in attack is well documented. As well as Victor Osimhen of Napoli, who continues to evolve into one of the world’s premier strikers, they have Kelechi Iheanacho and Emmanuel Dennis playing in the Premier League, Ademola Lookman scoring goals for Atalanta, and Samuel Chukwueze lighting up the wing for Villarreal.

Now though, there is another young attacking starlet ready to join them: Gift Orban. Since joining Gent from Norwegian side Stabaek in January, the 20-year-old has been a total revelation, scoring 14 goals in his first 14 games in all competitions, particularly catching the eye in the Europa Conference League. In the last-16 win over Istanbul Basaksehir he scored four times across the two legs, including hitting the fastest hat-trick ever recorded in a UEFA club competition, netting the treble in just 205 seconds to fire Gent to their first European quarter-final in 31 years. In little time he has already earned rave reviews, not only for his talent but for his hunger and mentality as well.

“He wants to win every training session,” Torgeir Bjarmann, Stabaek’s sporting director, told Belgian publication Nieuwsblad. “He wants to score every workout. He never relaxes.”

Consider the manner in which his talent was discovered and it is easy to see why. Orban came to the attention of European scouts during a showcase scouting event organised by Nigerian agent Atta Aneke, who manages the careers of Odion Ighalo, Chidera Ejuke and Jens-Petter Hauge.

These talent showcases are quite competitive, with thousands of top prospects having only a brief window of opportunity within which to demonstrate potential. However, even in that throng, Orban’s talent shone through.

”He scored three goals in one of the games,” Aneke said. “But it wasn’t just that he scored, it was how. His confidence, the way he struck the ball; I instantly knew that this was a player that would go far.”

Having come through this, as well as initial rejection at Stabaek, Orban is keen to seize every opportunity. That desire comes through in his conduct, which by all accounts is scrupulously professional, and in his style of play.

Part of his education as a striker was to not allow goalkeepers time to set, and so he “kicks from all possible angles” and does so early and often. It is a policy that has served him extremely well so far, and one that has made all of Europe sit up and take notice.

After helping Stabaek gain promotion to the Norwegian top flight with 16 goals in six months, Gent came calling. The reluctance of the Scandinavian club to sell forced the Belgians to submit a reported bid of €3.3 million, a fee that some considered excessive.

Now, that looks like an absolute bargain. Orban has hit the ground running, defying expectations. “He has turned out to be a stroke of luck,” said Gent coach Hein Vanhaezebrouck. “When you see him play, it turns out that we didn’t pay too much.”

His combination of ability, hunger and adaptability will no doubt make Orban an attractive proposition to clubs in Europe’s major leagues. In that sense, the Europa Conference League has provided him with a strong platform, and in typical fashion he has seized the opportunity with both hands, scoring five in six. The obvious question is: what could his ceiling be? “Put him tomorrow at a top French club, and he would think he should be in the team right away,” Bjarmann claimed.

Orban split his childhood between Nigeria and Togo, but there is little controversy surrounding his international future. In March (2023), he received a call-up to the Nigeria Under-23 side ahead of a 2024 Olympics qualifier; however, Gent declined, citing the fact that the notice had arrived late.

In any case, if he keeps up his form, it is only a matter of time before he makes his bow, even with Nigeria’s host of options.

“The future is bright for Nigeria if we have a special player like Gift Orban to compete for a spot alongside Victor Osimhen, Terem Moffi and others,” Victor Ikpeba, the 1997 African Player of the Year and former Monaco and Borussia Dortmund striker, told World Soccer.

“It is rare to find a two-footed player who also combines the ability to score with his head, skilful, sleek and fearless. This is a good headache for the Nigeria coach [José Peseiro] because it will mean strong competition in the Super Eagles team.”

Competition would be stiff. However, if there is one person who has already shown he can stand out from the crowd, and who backs himself in any environment, it’s Orban.

Oluwashina Okelej