2023 was a very eventful year and Nigeria got in on the action
Google, the global search engine, has revealed some of the Nigerian sports trends for 2023 and surprisingly, no Nigerian footballers were selected. Inter Miami and Al Nasr are at the forefront of this trend. Of course, these clubs are not his two biggest football clubs in the world, but Lionel’s Messi’s move to his MLS and Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to his professional league in Saudi Arabia have influenced these searches. I’m giving.
In addition to Ronaldo and Messi, Arsenal star Declan Rice is also on the list. But his move to Arsenal is definitely not the only reason why Declan Rice is one of the top trends for 2023. That’s because it’s also the title of a hit song by Nigerian artiste Odumodu Black that has amassed about 17 million streams on Spotify.
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Soccernet.ng‘s top trends for 2023.
1. Inter Miami.
Before 2023, Inter Miami was just a club in the US Major League Soccer owned by former Manchester United star David Beckham. However, once Messi and his PSG contract expired and talks began about a new transfer destination, the club began to attract attention.
There were rumors that the Argentine attacker would return to Barcelona, but he chose to join the American club. He made a huge impression upon joining the club, becoming a key player, scoring a plethora of goals and bonding well with his team-mates. And since Messi has many fans in Nigeria, it is no surprise that Inter Miami is one of this year’s top trends.
2. Al Nassr
Portuguese captain Ronaldo moved to Saudi Pro League club Al Nasr in January after a disappointing spell in Manchester. The 38-year-old’s decision to move to Saudi Arabia made him the highest-paid footballer in the world, and many players have since joined the league.
All these contributed to Al Nasr’s popularity. And since Ronaldo has millions of Nigerian fans, it’s no surprise that Al Nasr is one of the trends.
3. Declan Rice
The English player has been in great form for Arsenal since joining in the summer. One of the things that made Declan Rice one of the top trends in Nigeria is Odumodulwukku. The Nigerian Afro-pop star gained attention this year with his hit song ‘Declan Rice’. Arsenal also used a song by Odumodurvuku in Declan Rice’s unveiling in the summer.
4. Ballon d’or 2023
This is another trend that was probably heavily influenced by Lionel Messi. The award is the biggest individual honor in football, and after Argentina won the World Cup in December 2022, there were many rumors that an Argentine would win the award this year. In the end, Messi won his eighth championship, cementing his reputation as the only footballer to achieve this.
Also, what made the 2023 Ballon d’Or popular in Nigeria was Victor Osimhen, the first Nigerian to finish in the top eight.
5. Mykhalo Mudryk
Mudryk was at the center of a serious transfer dispute between Chelsea and Arsenal earlier this year. The Gunners had almost secured his contract, but Shakhtar decided to sell him to Chelsea for 70 million euros. The drama created a lot of buzz in Nigeria as both Chelsea and Arsenal have large fan bases.
Unfortunately for Chelsea and Mudryk, he has not made much of an impact since joining the club.
6. Achraf Hakimi
Hakimi made headlines earlier this year when he claimed that his wife wanted a divorce, but that she would not get anything because all the assets were in her mother’s name. This news created a ripple on the internet and social media especially in Nigeria.
He was also one of the top three candidates for the CAF Player of the Year award alongside Victor Osimhen.
