Nigeria has a long history of producing players with extraordinary talent, and 17-year-old forward George Ilenikhena is the most recent star to emerge. In the Belgium Pro League, he’s rapidly becoming known, following in the footsteps of legendary striker Romelu Lukaku, who had a big impact as a teenager.
Lagos native George Ilenikhena, who plays alongside teammates Chidera Ejuke and Alhassan Yusuf on the pitch, has been an important member of Pro League champion Royal Antwerp. With his goal-scoring ability, Ilenikhena is lighting up the league, much like his predecessors Paul Onuachu and Gift Orban did.
During the summer transfer window, this young talent moved from French team Amiens to Antwerp. Although he had to get used to a new atmosphere during his first few days at the club, his recent performance shows that he’s already proving to be a fantastic addition. Remarkably, he scored in two straight games—one at Charleroi, Osimhen’s old team, and the other against Club Brugge barely a week later.
![Football. Amiens SC: Ilenikhena vers Antwerp pour 6,5M€ - Courrier picard](https://prmeng.rosselcdn.net/sites/default/files/dpistyles_v2/prm_16_9_856w/2023/06/22/node_425923/39643270/public/2023/06/22/B9734592339Z.1_20230622191626_000%2BGA4N0TUML.1-0.jpg?itok=asdMapOq1687531889)
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The timing of Ilenikhena’s accomplishment is what makes it so amazing. He’s mimicking one of the best strikers in the world, Romelu Lukaku, who was the last player younger than him to score in back-to-back Belgian Pro League games—Lukaku did so at 16 years and 312 days—at the age of 17 years and 74 days, according to OptaJohan.
The amazing thing is that, because of his early relocation to France at the age of three and his football training in French academies, George Ilenikhena is qualified to play for both France and the Super Eagles, the national team of Nigeria. His ability has also been noticed by the French Football Federation (FFF), which called him up for the French U-16 team alongside other gifted players like Warren Zaire-Emery of PSG. TransferMarkt reported that despite receiving the call-up, he has not yet played for the French team.
Nigeria’s roster has an abundance of forward options due to their dual eligibility, with many talented players sitting on the bench. Ilenikhena hasn’t decided on a national team yet, but the Super Eagles won’t likely be overly concerned about losing this promising young talent. George Ilenikhena’s journey from Lagos to Belgium’s Pro League and his record-breaking performances are a testament to the continued excellence of Nigerian football talent.
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