Israel Adesanya and Asisat Oshoala have been recognized as two of the five Nigerians featured in ESPN’s compilation of the greatest African athletes of the 21st century.
Oshoala, a six-time winner of the African women’s player of the year award, earned her place on the list for her outstanding achievements in women’s football both domestically and internationally. Adesanya, on the other hand, is a former UFC middleweight champion known for his current efforts to reclaim his title in the highly competitive division.
ESPN recently unveiled this list, highlighting African talent that has made significant impacts across a variety of sports.
Oshoala is celebrated not only for her success at club and national team levels but also for her leadership in advancing women’s football in Africa. Another notable inclusion from Nigeria is Perpetua Nkwocha, a former Super Falcons striker and four-time African Women’s Player of the Year, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the Nigerian women’s national team.
Nicknamed ‘The Last Stylebender’, Nigerian-Kiwi fighter Adesanya is widely considered one of the greatest fighters in the history of the UFC middleweight division.
His influence in the mixed martial arts industry exemplifies the excellence and diversity of African athletes.
Also listed is Nigeria’s MMA fighter, Kamaru Usman, who has already established himself as one of the most prominent fighters in the UFC lightweight division.
New York Giants legend Osi Umenyiora also made the list, having recorded tremendous success in the NFL.
Umenyiora spent much of his childhood in Nigeria, and he has continued his post-NFL career in Lagos as a talent developer.
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However, a few eyebrows were raised due to the surprising exclusion of two other legends in Nigerian sports.
ESPN’s list has sparked discussions due to the surprising omissions of Nigerian football legends Jay-Jay Okocha and John Obi Mikel.
Okocha, renowned for his flair and creativity on the field, and Mikel, celebrated for his success with Chelsea FC and the Nigerian national team, have both had illustrious careers.
The complete list of the 25 best African athletes of the 21st century, compiled by ESPN: Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) Athletics, Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) Athletics, Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon) Football, Kirsty Coventry (Zimbabwe) Athletics, Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) Athletics, Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) Football, Faith Kipyegon (Kenya) Athletics, Jacques Kallis (South Africa) Cricket, Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria) Football, Mohamed Salah (Egypt) Football, Joel Embiid (Cameroon) Basketball, Siya Kolisi (South Africa) Rugby, Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast) Football, Wayde van Niekerk (South Africa) Athletics, Israel Adesanya (Nigeria) MMA, Ernst van Dyk (South Africa) Cycling, Caster Semenya (South Africa) Athletics, Mary Keitany (Kenya) Athletics, Sadio Mane (Senegal) Football, Perpetua Nkwocha (Nigeria) Football, Chad le Clos (South Africa) Swimming, Ramy Ashour (Egypt), squash, Kamaru Usman (Nigeria) MMA, Osi Umenyiora (Nigeria) NFL, Mwadi Mabika (DR Congo) – Basketball