UEFA Europa League: Sunday Oliseh, Nwankwo Kanu Among 11 Nigerian Players Who Lost in the Final

• Victor Boniface, Nathan Tella, and Ademola Lookman are set to lock horns in the Europa League final
• The three Super Eagles superstars are not the first Nigerian players to feature in the UEL's last round
• Sports Brief lists those Nigerian stars who have lost in the final of the top European club tournament

The final of the 53rd season of the UEFA Europa League is set to take place at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, with Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta battling it out.

The two teams have Nigerian players in their squads: Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella represent Leverkusen, while Ademola Lookman will fly the Atalanta flag in the final.

Ahead of the mouthwatering tie later today (May 22), Sports Brief takes a look at the 11 Nigerian players who have lost in the final of the Europe League.

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Nigerian players who lost in Europa League final

1. Kanu Nwankwo (Arsenal)

The former Nigerian international featured in his second Europa League final with Arsenal after winning the competition with Inter Milan in the 1997-98 season.

The former Super Eagles star came on as a substitute in the 75th minute as the Gunners lost to Galatasaray in the 1999-2000 final.

2. Sunday Oliseh (Borussia Dortmund)

The former Super Eagles coach was an unused substitute in Borussia Dortmund's 3-2 loss to Feyenoord in the 2001-02 final at the Feijenoord Stadion, Rotterdam.

Pierre van Hooijdonk's two goals and Jon Dahl Tomasson's lone strike gave the Dutch side the win over BVB.

3. Joseph Enakarhire (Sporting Lisbon)

Joseph Enakarhire was on for the entire duration as Sporting CP lost to Chidi Odiah's CSKA Moscow in 2005 despite playing in their home stadium (Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon).

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4. Yakubu Aiyegbeni (Middlesbrough)

The legendary Nigerian striker was a second-half substitute as Middlesbrough lost to Sevilla, the most successful side in Europa League history, in the 2006 final.

The English side was thrashed 4-0 by the Spanish giants at the Philips Stadion, Eindhoven.

5. Dickson Etuhu (Fulham)

Etuhu was part of the Fulham side that was close to making history in Europe. The Cottagers defeated top teams en route to the final but were unable to get past Atletico Madrid.

The Spanish side defeated the London-based club 2-1 at the Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, courtesy of Diego Forlan's brace.

6. Elderson Echiejile (Sporting Braga)

The former Super Eagles left full-back was not involved in Sporting Braga's 1-0 loss to FC Porto in the 2011 Europa League final.

The 40th season's best player, Radamel Falcao's lone strike gave Andre Villa-Boas' side the deserved win over Braga at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin.

7. Alex Iwobi (Arsenal)

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The Nigerian international could not lead Arsenal to their first Europa League title in 2019 as they lost to Premier League rivals, Chelsea, in the final.

The Blues thrashed the Gunners 4-1 at the Olympic Stadium, Baku, with Iwobi scoring the North London side's only goal.

8. Victor Moses (Inter Milan)

While on loan at Inter Milan from Chelsea, Moses failed to make it back-to-back Europa League title wins as the Nerazzurri lost 3-2 to Sevilla in the final in 2020.

9. Joe Aribo, Leon Balogun, Calvin Bassey (Rangers)

The 2021-22 Europa League final has the highest number of Nigerian players. Rangers had Aribo, Balogun, and Bassey in their squad for the match against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Aribo and Bassey started the match, with the former scoring the first goal. However, the German side equalised through Rafael Borre's goal and went on to win the tie on penalties.

Oliseh congratulates Boniface

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Sports Brief also reported on Oliseh congratulating Victor Boniface after Leverkusen’s triumph in the German Bundesliga.

The 48-year-old took to social media to salute the forward for his brilliance throughout the season, starring despite his injury.