“The man on fire is never afraid of the flames—he knows they are the fuel for his purpose.”
The above quote best suits returning Super Eagles winger Chidera Ejuke, who, despite challenges or adversities, uses his passion and inner drive to keep moving forward, undeterred by obstacles.
Ejuke is a player whose determination doesn’t waver in the face of adversity and plays not for the accolades or the spotlight, but for the love of the game itself.
Nonetheless, the 26-year-old, in the past few months, has been rewarded for his hard work and passion to deliver on the field of play.
The Nigerian has enjoyed an impressive start to life in Spain since joining Sevilla from CSKA Moscow and was rightly rewarded with the club’s Player of the Month award for September.
The winger impressed during the month, making five league appearances and netting one crucial goal.
Ejuke opened his La Liga account on September 24, an 85th-minute match-winner in their 2-1 victory over Real Valladolid at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, which also considerably earned under-fire club’s coach Francisco Pimienta a new contract.
The Nigerian winger has been dominant for Sevilla and played a crucial role as they claimed their third victory of the 2024/25 season over Real Betis in the Seville derby on Sunday.
Known for his dribbling prowess, Ejuke ranked top among players with the most successful dribbles in Europe’s Top 5 leagues.
In the latest ranking released on October 1, he had completed 23 dribbles, one more than Barcelona wonder kid Lamine Yamal.
His immediate impact since joining the Rojiblancos also earned him a call-up to the national team after two years of absence, being named in the 23-man squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying doubleheader against Libya by Nigeria’s interim coach, Austin Eguavoen.
Ejuke last featured for the national team at the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon, where Nigeria won all three group games under Eguavoen before being eliminated by Tunisia in the Round of 16.
Regarded as one of La Liga’s best dribblers, surpassing even the likes of Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior, as well as Yamal, Ejuke’s dribbles, sprints, and every challenge are driven by an unrelenting desire to push beyond their limits.
September’s ranking was the second time the Nigerian will be ranked tops among dribblers in the world, a strong indication that he hasn’t dropped the bar since moving to Sevilla in the summer.