Football: Gift Oban Pushing for Super Eagles Call-Up
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Orban’s Resurgence at Hoffenheim After Lyon Nightmare
Nigeria forward Gift Orban burst onto the European football scene in 2023 when he joined Belgian Pro League side KAA Gent in January and bagged a brace on debut before scoring four times against Zulte Waregem.
He then etched his name in European Cup competition history by netting the fastest hat-trick in the UEFA Europa Conference League in March of the same year against Istanbul Basaksehir, doing so in an astonishing three minutes and 25 seconds.
Those performances not only earned the Benue-born attacker his debut call-up to the Nigerian national team but also resulted in Ligue 1 giants Olympique Lyonnais splashing out €15m to acquire his services in January 2024.
Since then, though, the 22-year-old striker endured a very difficult period, which included being omitted from the Super Eagles squad due to administrative hurdles, while his tenure with Lyon turned turbulent and ended in him being dropped from the team due to disciplinary reasons.
However, after making just three appearances in the first half of the 2024-25 Ligue 1 season, Orban was handed a lifeline in the form of a cut-price deal to join a Bundesliga club, TSG Hoffenheim, at the start of this year.
When he joined Die Kraichgauer, the team was one of the favourites to be relegated from the German top flight by most of the best online betting sites, but his partnership alongside Andrej Kramaric has been instrumental in getting their side out of the drop zone, now 10 points clear of the dotted line.
Orban Making Case for Super Eagles’ Recall
Orban made a seamless transition to the Bundesliga following his move from Ligue 1 and netted four goals for Hoffenheim in his first six appearances, including a crucial strike against VfB Stuttgart, which earned his side a point at home in late February.
The 22-year-old has featured in all but one of Die Kraichgauer’s league games since then and has become one of the first names on the team sheet under the guidance of new boss, Christian Ilzer, who joined the club in November last year.
However, Orban’s club performances have not translated into national team success just yet, as he was left out of the Super Eagles provisional squad selection for their recently completed 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe last month.
The striker’s omission sparked outrage among Super Eagles fans on social media, particularly after the likes of Ahmed Musa and former Leicester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho made the preliminary squad.
Eric Chelle’s side subsequently endured a tough set of results, beating Amavumbi but drawing against the Warriors, which has now placed their World Cup qualification hopes in major doubt, while fans continue to demand change and improvement from the three-time African champions.
Indeed, Orban faces serious competition to get into the Super Eagles squad ahead of Victor Osimhen and Victor Boniface, but if he continues to perform at the level he is producing in Germany, Chelle will have no choice but to bring the 22-year-old under consideration later this year.
Nigeria will resume their 2026 WCQ campaign in September with two crucial fixtures against Rwanda and South Africa, so be sure to check out our World Cup predictions ahead of those matches.
