Nigeria’s No.1 Francis Uzoho: World Cup starter at 19, crossroads at 27 | Gegen Pres
Gegen Pres opens its Nigeria file with the No.1 jersey and its complicated owner:
Francis Uzoho — a World Cup starter at 19, a club back-up at 27.
Uzoho came through the Aspire Academy pathway, joined Deportivo La Coruña’s youth setup in 2016 and
was playing La Liga football at 18. His Nigeria debut arrived on 14 November 2017 in
the famous 4-2 friendly win over Argentina in Krasnodar, and by summer 2018 he was keeping goal at the
World Cup in Russia — one of the youngest starting goalkeepers of the tournament.
| Milli forma numarası | 1 |
| Mevki | Kaleci |
| Doğum | 28 Ekim 1998 (27) |
| Doğum yeri | Nwangele |
| Boy / ayak | 1,96m / sağ |
| Kulüp | Omonia Nicosia |
| Sözleşme bitişi | 31 Mayıs 2027 |
| Milli maç / gol | 37 / 0 |
| Piyasa değeri | €300k |
The Omonia years
The peak of his club career came in Omonia Nicosia’s 2022 Europa League group campaign: his
save-after-save display against Manchester United in October 2022, above all at Old Trafford, made
headlines across Europe. The flip side: over the last two seasons he has struggled for regular league
minutes in Nicosia, his busiest football coming in the Conference League. His contract runs to
May 2027 and his market value has drifted down to €300k.
Nigeria’s senior keeper
He still wears No.1 for Nigeria with 37 caps. In the squad rebuilt after the
November 2025 World Cup play-off defeat to DR Congo on penalties, Uzoho is kept as the experience
anchor alongside Maduka Okoye and Arthur Okonkwo. Profile: a big-game shot-stopper with a 1.96m frame,
sharp close-range reflexes and genuine composure on the grand stage; the weaknesses — rhythm-dependent
timing on crosses and streaky distribution — are the classic symptoms of irregular football. Whether
he can hold the jersey long-term comes down to one thing: playing regularly again.
Kaynaklar ve veri notu
- Transfermarkt — Nijerya A Millî Takım kadrosu. Millî forma numarası, mevki, millî maç ve gol sayısı için kullanıldı. Bağlantı
- Transfermarkt — oyuncu profili. Doğum tarihi ve yeri, boy, ayak, sözleşme bitiş tarihi ve piyasa değeri için kullanıldı. Bağlantı
- Transfermarkt — performans ve transfer geçmişi. Kulüp kariyeri, maç/dakika toplamları ve transfer bedelleri için kullanıldı. Bağlantı
Veriler yazının hazırlandığı tarihte açık kaynaklardan derlenmiştir; transfer dönemi ve millî takım kadro değişiklikleriyle güncellenebilir. Kesinleşmemiş bilgiler yazı içinde ihtiyat diliyle belirtilmiştir.
