Fulham, Everton Celebrate Nigeria’s Independence Day

Premier League clubs Fulham and Everton joined Nigerians around the world in celebrating Nigeria’s 66th Independence Day on Thursday, October 1.

Fulham marked the occasion with a special social media post celebrating the Nigerian players who have represented the London club, both past and present.

The club posted a graphic featuring four Nigerian stars associated with Fulham, accompanied by the message: ‘Celebrating Naija boys past and present on Nigerian Independence Day.

Everton also joined the celebrations with a simple message on its official social media platforms: ‘Happy Independence Day, Nigeria!’

The Toffees have a long association with Nigerian football, with several Super Eagles stars having represented the club over the years.

Yakubu Aiyegbeni made 107 appearances for Everton and scored 33 goals, while former Nigeria captain Joseph Yobo featured 259 times for the club, scoring 10 goals from his defensive position.

Daniel Amokachi was another prominent Nigerian to play for Everton, while Victor Anichebe made 168 appearances and scored 26 goals for the Merseyside club.

Alex Iwobi has represented both Everton and Fulham, as well as Arsenal. He made 149 appearances for Arsenal, 140 for Everton and 115 for Fulham across all competitions.

Fulham have also had several other Nigerians on their books. Calvin Bassey has made 107 appearances for the club, while Dickson Etuhu featured 127 times and scored six goals.

Samuel Chukwueze also joined Fulham on loan, adding another Nigerian connection to the club.

The Independence Day messages from Fulham and Everton highlighted the longstanding links between the Premier League and Nigerian football as the country celebrated 65 years of independence from British colonial rule.