RB Leipzig of Germany’s Nigerian-born winger, Antonio Eromonsele Nordby Nusa popped into global limelight on Monday night, following his stunning goal for Norway in their 2-1 victory over Cote d’Ivoire at the ongoing FIFA World Cup.
Sports247 reports that several posts flooded social media in the wake of Nusa’s sizzler, which became Norway’s first knock out stage goal in World Cup history – after 88 years of trying – and he was duly named man of the match.
Nusa’s performance on the night blossomed into huge stats for him, which included 100% successful long balls, all of his shots on target and three ball recoveries, as the dazzler pulled off one of this World Cup’s best individual performances.
It turned out to be a truly defining moment for the 21-year-old fast-rising star, who started his career at Langhus, then moved to Stabæk’s youth section at the age of 13 and later signed his first professional contract at the same club in May 2020.
In the summer of 2021, Nusa signed a contract with Club Brugge of Belgium and scored a goal during his UEFA Champions League debut, which came in a 4-0 win away to FC Porto of Portugal on September 13th, 2022.
That made him become the youngest Norwegian player to feature in the UCL and second youngest of any nationality to score in the elite clubs’ competition, following which he later signed a five-year contract to join Leipzig on August 13th, 2024.
Two years on, Nusa has become a major talking point in his father’s country (Nigeria), the nation of his birth (Norway) and across the world at large, following Tuesday night’s heroics by the youngster fondly called ‘Norwegian Neymar.’
As a flood of accolades continues trailing the Nigerian-born ace, a post on X by renowned football transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano noted, “Antonio Nusa makes history for Norway: first goal at WC knockout stages in 88 years!”
