Frank Onyeka

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Frank Onyeka
Personal information
Full name Ogochukwu Frank Onyeka[1]
Date of birth (1998-01-01) 1 January 1998 (age 26)
Place of birth Benin City, Nigeria
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Brentford
Number 15
Youth career
0000–2013 Faith Motors FC
2013–2016 Ebedei
2016–2017 Midtjylland
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2021 Midtjylland 95 (14)
2021– Brentford 66 (1)
International career‡
2020– Nigeria 25 (1)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Nigeria
Africa Cup of Nations
Runner-up 2023 Ivory Coast
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:02, 13 April 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22 March 2024 (UTC)

Ogochukwu Frank Onyeka MON (born 1 January 1998) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Brentford and the Nigeria national team.[3]

Early life and career[edit]

Onyeka was born on 1 January 1998 in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, the second oldest of five siblings. He has stated that his mother was not supportive of him playing football early on: "She wanted us to study, because the opportunity of becoming a football player at that point was slim. She would rather I went to school than play football."[4]

Aged 15, while playing for local club Faith Motors Academy, he was discovered by Churchill Oliseh, owner and manager of FC Ebedei—a club with ties to Midtjylland in the Danish Superliga—and the man credited for discovering Nigerian international Obafemi Martins.[4] Before joining FC Ebedei, Onyeka supported his family by doing roofing work. His move to Ebedei, located in Sagamu, Ogun State, more than 250 kilometers from Benin City, marked his first venture away from home, and required significant adjustments. Despite the distance and his prior responsibilities, Onyeka remained committed to pursuing his dreams, something he later recognised as instrumental in developing a resilient mindset.[4]

Club career[edit]

Midtjylland[edit]

After moving from Nigerian club FC Ebedei to cooperation club FC Midtjylland in Denmark in January 2016,[5] Onyeka established himself as part of the club, and on 20 September 2017 he made his first-team debut in the Danish Cup in a 7–0 win over Greve Fodbold where he also scored.[6] Onyeka went on to make his Danish Superliga debut for the club a few months later in the club's 2017–18 campaign in a match against AC Horsens on 9 February 2018. There, he also scored, and was a key part in the 2–0 win.[6][7] Onyeka distinguished himself again in the next fixture, on 18 February, against the leading Superliga team from FC Copenhagen, where he scored his second league goal for the club at the right winger position as Midtjylland beat the capital side 3–1.[8] He was subsequently praised by head coach Jess Thorup for his positional versatility and maturity.[8]

Onyeka made his UEFA Champions League debut in the following season, in Midtjylland's qualifier against Astana FC on 24 July 2018.[9]

Brentford[edit]

Onyeka signed for newly promoted Premier League side Brentford on 20 July 2021 for an undisclosed fee.[10] He made his competitive debut for the club on 13 August, the first matchday of the season, starting in a 2–0 victory against Arsenal; the Bees' first ever Premier League win.[11]

During his first seasons at Brentford, he grappled with securing a regular spot in the first team, often sidelined by injuries, and primarily featuring as a substitute.[12] On 7 August 2023, he signed a new four-year contract, keeping him in west London until 2027.[13] He scored his first goal for the club on 13 April 2024, helping Brentford to a 2–0 league win over Sheffield United to claim their first win in 10 consecutive Premier League games.[14]

International career[edit]

Onyeka received his first call-up for the Nigeria national team on 22 September 2020 for the friendly matches against Algeria and Tunisia in Austria on 5 and 9 October 2020, respectively.[15][16] He made his debut with the Nigeria national team in a friendly 1–0 loss to Algeria on 9 October 2020.[17] He scored his first goal for his country on 16 October 2023, in a 3–2 win over Mozambique.[18]

Onyeka was a part of the Nigerian team that emerged runners-up at the 2023 African Cup of Nations.[19] Throughout the tournament, he was a regular starter, starting all seven of Nigeria's games.[20]

Personal life[edit]

Onyeka was born and bred in Benin City. He is nicknamed "The Tank".[21]

Career statistics[edit]

Club[edit]

As of match played 13 April 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Midtjylland 2017–18[22] Danish Superliga 15 4 3 1 — — 18 5
2018–19[23] Danish Superliga 21 4 3 0 — 5[c] 0 29 4
2019–20[24] Danish Superliga 32 3 1 0 — 2[d] 1 35 4
2020–21[25] Danish Superliga 27 3 4 0 — 10[e] 1 41 4
Total 95 14 11 1 — 17 2 123 17
Brentford 2021–22[26] Premier League 20 0 0 0 4 0 – 24 0
2022–23[27] Premier League 21 0 0 0 2 0 – 23 0
2023–24[28] Premier League 25 1 0 0 2 0 – 27 1
Total 66 1 0 0 8 0 – 74 1
Career total 161 16 11 1 8 0 17 2 197 19
  1. ^ Includes Danish Cup, FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, three appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International[edit]

As of match played 22 March 2024[29]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Nigeria 2020 1 0
2021 3 0
2022 5 0
2023 7 1
2024 9 0
Total 25 1
Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Onyeka goal.[29]
List of international goals scored by Frank Onyeka
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 16 October 2023 Estádio Municipal de Portimão, Portimão, Portugal  Mozambique 2–1 3–2 Friendly

Honours[edit]

Midtjylland

Nigeria

Orders

References[edit]

  1. ^ "2021/22 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Frank Onyeka". Brentford F.C. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  3. ^ "O. Frank". Soccerway.
  4. ^ a b c "Frank Onyeka: I used to play barefoot on concrete; now I can put on any shoes I want". Brentford F.C. 8 February 2024. Archived from the original on 11 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  5. ^ a b Aaes, Jette (3 June 2018). "Guldmedaljen glimter godmorgen". ikast-brandenyt.dk. Ikast-Brande Nyt. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  6. ^ a b Kristiansen, Kenneth (9 February 2018). "Hårdt tilkæmpet FCM-sejr i Horsens" (in Danish). Herning Folkeblad. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  7. ^ Margren, Sara (10 February 2018). "FCM-debutant vil fighte sig til fast plads". www.bold.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  8. ^ a b Hansen, Charlotte (18 February 2018). "FCM-træner: Fantastisk at slå FCK med akademispillere" (in Danish). TV Midtvest. Retrieved 24 September 2020. Specielt det unge nigerianske talent Frank Onyeka, der scorede senest mod AC Horsens og igen mod FCK, bringer glæden frem hos FCM's cheftræner. - Frank har gjort det rigtig godt i opstarten. Han har prøvet at spille midterforsvarer, højreback og central midtbanespiller, men han er faktisk lidt mere en hængende angriber. Frank har gjort det virkelig godt, og det var kun et spørgsmål om tid, før at han skulle bringes ind. Han er jo en af de næste, der skal gribe de chancer, der kommer, for der er jo plads til nogle nye spillere.
  9. ^ "Astana vs. Midtjylland - 24 July 2018 - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com.
  10. ^ "Brentford sign Frank Onyeka from FC Midtjylland". www.brentfordfc.com. 20 July 2021.
  11. ^ McNulty, Phil (13 August 2021). "Brentford beat Arsenal on opening day". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  12. ^ Aarons, Ed (11 January 2024). "Brentford's Frank Onyeka wanted by Everton and Fulham on loan". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  13. ^ "Onyeka signs new four-year deal". Brentford F.C. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  14. ^ Drury, Sam (13 April 2024). "Brentford beat Sheff Utd to ease relegation fears". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 13 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  15. ^ "Full list of Super Eagles invitees for friendlies". The Nation. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  16. ^ Dalgård, Jonas (22 September 2020). "Frank Onyeka kan få landsholdsdebut". bold.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  17. ^ "Nigeria vs. Algeria – 9 October 2020 – Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com.
  18. ^ "ONYEKA SCORES FIRST NIGERIA GOAL". Brentfordfc. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  19. ^ Nwachukwu, John Owen (29 December 2023). "AFCON 2023: Jose Peseiro releases 25-man squad [FULL LIST]". Daily Post Nigeria. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  20. ^ Edward, Johnny (12 February 2024). "Brentford hail Onyeka". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  21. ^ "From the streets of Benin to Brentford: Super Eagles star shares his Emotional story". soccernet.ng. 28 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  22. ^ "Games played by Frank Onyeka in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  23. ^ "Games played by Frank Onyeka in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  24. ^ "Games played by Frank Onyeka in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  25. ^ "Games played by Frank Onyeka in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  26. ^ "Games played by Frank Onyeka in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  27. ^ "Games played by Frank Onyeka in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  28. ^ "Games played by Frank Onyeka in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  29. ^ a b Frank Onyeka at National-Football-Teams.com Edit this at Wikidata
  30. ^ "Guldfest i Herning: FC Midtjylland er dansk mester". dr.dk. Danmarks Radio. 9 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  31. ^ Stevens, Rob (11 February 2024). "Nigeria 1–2 Ivory Coast". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  32. ^ "Afcon: Ivory Coast and Nigeria players get cash, villas and honours". BBC News. 13 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.

External links[edit]

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