Jubilation as Statue of Nigerian Footballer Unveiled in Top European Country

• Anthony Nwakaeme seems to have won the heart of Trabzonspor fans after just three years of representing them
• The Super Eagles star has been gifted a full statue for his contributions to the club since his arrival in 2018
• Nwakaeme has risen to become the Black Sea Storm captain after his arrival from Hapoel Be'er Sheva in 2018

Nigerian striker Anthony Nwakaeme has been rewarded with a huge statue in Turkey after his contributions at Super Lig side Trabzonspor.

The 32-year-old joined the Black Sea Storm from Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the summer f 2018 for an undisclosed fee.

He has since then contributed 65 goals - 35 goals and 30 assists in 114 appearances across competitions while winning the Turkish Cup and the Turkish Super Cups titles in the process.

Nigerian football journalist Oluwashina Okeleji (@oluwashina) shared the news on his social media platform adding that the image was erected in Trabzon by Adem Birsen.

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What was said after the statue was erected?

The sculptor was said to have built the statue as a reminder of the striker's reign at the Turkish club. Bisren while sharing the post also shared his thoughts on the gesture, saying:

"A long construction process of 6 months. We had it done with a special sculptor. We love & admire him very much."

"We could've picked any Turkish footballer, but Nwakaeme is a very different name for us. He came from outside and embody us. A man who loves Trabzonspor like us, we see him as one of us. He has the characteristics of Trabzon.

"It cost 30 thousand TL, but the money is not important. Let him come here, we have food, we eat & drink. Let him continue to score. If Fenerbahçe has Alex, we have Nwakaeme. We love him very much, he should continue to score, he is our everything."

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The statue took nothing less than six months before it could be erected according to the comments from the creator.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian star has continued his impressive run for his Super Lig side after scoring in their 2-1 win over Sivasspor earlier this week.

He has now scored three goals and one assist in five games in all competitions so far this campaign and he could end up surpassing his seven goals and seven assists in the previous season.

Top 5 African stars with most goals

Legit.ng earlier reported that the top 5 African players with most goals have been revealed with Ivorian legend Didier Drogba on the summit of the list following his staggering 104 goals, GOAL reports.

Drogba who played 226 Premier League matches for Chelsea during his first stint between 2004 and 2012 scored 100 goals and then another 4 goals during his second stint between 2014 and 2015 when he played 28 matches.

However, Daily Post are claiming that the Senegalese international Sadio Mane is closing in on the record following his strike in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Burnley on Saturday, August 21.