Google Nigeria's 2025 search data has unveiled a surprising trend for Nigerian football enthusiasts: Arsenal's star players have significantly outshone Super Eagles' prolific striker, Victor Osimhen, in online popularity.
In Google Nigeria's 'Year in Search 2025' report, Premier League leaders Arsenal dominated the sporting landscape, with their new signing Viktor Gyokeres claiming the top spot among sports personalities.
Alejandro Garnacho, the controversial Manchester United outcast who subsequently joined Chelsea, secured second place, while Tottenham's Xavi Simons rounded out the top three.
English football giants Arsenal and Manchester United each had three players featuring in the most-searched lists, Chelsea contributed two, and Liverpool had one.
The complete top 10 list reads like a Premier League showcase: Arsenal's trio of Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze, and Noni Madueke; Manchester United's Benjamin Sesko and Bryan Mbeumo; Chelsea's Joao Pedro and Garnacho, alongside Andre Silva, Alexandre Isak, and others.
Victor Osimhen's conspicuous absence from this elite search ranking will undoubtedly shock many, especially given his stellar loan spell at Galatasaray, which culminated in a blockbuster €75 million transfer from Napoli to the Turkish giants.
Despite holding the title of Africa's most expensive striker, Osimhen failed to garner the same level of online attention in Nigeria as the dominant Premier League stars from Arsenal.
This trend offers significant insight into the priorities of Nigerian football fans as AFCON 2025 approaches, an tournament where Osimhen will be pivotal in the Super Eagles' quest for a fourth title.
The fervour surrounding Arsenal's Premier League campaign appears to have captivated the nation more profoundly than the individual heroics of Super Eagles players, indicating a shift in focus towards club football and global Premier League narratives over national team icons.