Ola Aina becomes 24th Super Eagles star to play 50 Premier League games for a club

Ola Aina has become the 24th Nigerian player to play as many as 50 Premier League games for at least a club in the history of the competition.

Aina has featured in 84 Premier League games so far with 50 of the matches played as a Nottingham Forest player.

Aina has now joined 23 others like Shola Ameobi, Mikel Obi, Joseph Yobo among Nigerian players who have featured 50 times in the Premier League for at least a club.

Ameobi played for two different clubs but 294 of his 298 appearances were made as a Newcastle player while Mikel played for only Chelsea and made 249 appearances in the competition.

Yobo featured for two different clubs but made 220 of his 228 appearances as an Everton player.

The trio of Nwankwo Kanu, Alex Iwobi and Yakubu Aiyegbeni are among only three African players that played at least 50 Premier League matches for three different clubs.

Kanu featured for Arsenal (119), Portsmouth (100) and West Brom (52) while Iwobi, who is still active in the competition, has featured 123 times for Everton, 100 for Arsenal and 57 for his current club, Fulham.

Aiyegbeni played for four different clubs but made 50+ appearances for only three of them viz Everton (82), Middlesbrough (73) and Portsmouth (67). He played only 30 games for Blackburn.

Wilfred Ndidi has made 210 appearances for Leicester City in the competition while Kelechi Iheanacho, now playing on loan at Sky Bet Championships side, Middlesbrough featured for two clubs in the Premier League but made his 50+ appearances as a Leicester City player (150) with 46 appearances made at Manchester City.

Other Nigerian players who played at least 50 times for a Premier League club are Victor Moses (87 for Chelsea and 74 for Wigan), Victor Anichebe (131 for Everton), Austin Jayjay Okocha (124 for Bolton), Celestine Babayaro (133 for Chelsea), Efan Ekoku (122 for Wimbledon), Osaze Odemwingie (87 for West Brom), Frank Onyeka (69 for Brentford), Taiwo Awoniyi (67 for Forest) and John Utaka (66 for Portsmouth).

Others are Calvin Bassey (55 for Fulham and still active), Isaac Success (54 for Watford), Ade Akinbiyi (58 for Leicester City), Obafemi Martins (88 for Newcastle), Dickson Etuhu (91 for Fulham) and Odion Ighalo (55 for Watford).