Raphael Onyedika Nwadike is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Belgian club Club Brugge and the Nigeria national team.
Age
Onyedika is 23 years old.He was born 19 April 2001
Career
Onyedika used to play street football before joining Nigerian club F.C. Ebedei’s academy at the age of 15. After three years in Ebedei, Onyedika joined the academy of FC Midtjylland in Denmark, an affiliate club to FC Ebedei, shortly after his 18th birthday.
In his first full season in FC Midtjylland, he impressed in the U19 League and in the UEFA Youth League with his physique, speed and playing style. On 1 July 2020, he signed his first five-year professional contract with the club until June 2025. To gain more experience, Onyedika was loaned out to Midtjylland’s affiliate club, Danish 1st Division-side FC Fredericia, on 19 August 2020 for the whole 2020–21 season. Onyedika did well on his loan spell, playing 28 games and scoring three goals. The season went well enough for the Nigerian to be named in TV3 Sport’s team of the year in the Danish 1st Division.
Onyedika returned to Midtjylland in the summer 2021 and was promoted to the first team squad. He got his official debut for Midtjylland on 16 July 2021 against Odense Boldklub, the first game of the 2021–22 Danish Superliga, where he was in the starting line-up and played the whole game.
Club Brugge
On 28 August 2022, Onyedika signed a five-year contract with Club Brugge in Belgium.
International career
In September 2022, Raphael Onedika was first called up with the Nigeria national team by coach José Peseiro.He honours his first selection at this gathering on 27 September 2022 in a friendly match against Algeria. He came into play in place of Frank Onyeka in this match lost by the Nigerians (2-1 final score).
On 29 December 2023, he was selected in the list of 25 Nigerian players selected by José Peseiro to compete in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
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European Clubs
Super Eagles midfielder, Raphael Onyedika, has emerged as the most wanted player in January 2025 by several top European clubs.
According to The Telegraph, the Nigerian, who has excelled in the midfield position, has drawn attention from some of the biggest clubs across various leagues in Europe.The UK publication reported that heavyweights like Paris Saint Germain, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Porto and AC Milan have made enquiries for the 23-year-old.
Onyedika has been at the heart of Club Brugge’s impressive runs, helping the Belgian club to 20 games unbeaten. His impressive display for Brugge has not gone unnoticed as the midfielder has emerged as the primary target for several clubs.
“City have been looking at defensive midfielders following Rodri’s long-term injury and now they face Onyedika, 23, who has excelled in that position and has heavyweights from the biggest leagues chasing his signature. Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Porto and AC Milan have made enquiries,” The Telegraph wrote ahead of Club Brugge’s Champions League clash against Manchester City on Wednesday.
“Paris St-Germain have also been watching Onyedika as they consider bolstering the midfield who overran City last week at the Parc des Princes. Onyedika’s stats are comparable to those of PSG’s João Neves, who was highlighted by Uefa’s technical report for his performance in the 4-2 win.
“Neves has averaged 10.9 kilometres per match in the Champions League this season, while Onyedika has clocked 10.5km. Onyedika’s passing accuracy has been 90.34 per cent throughout the competition.”
In the previous transfer windows, Aston Villa made tentative enquiries for the combative midfielder as they sought a defensive midfielder. However, it has been big clubs in Europe who have made the most running for Onyedika so far.
The Nigerian’s stock inevitably will rise higher as the top clubs battle for his signature.
Meanwhile, according to Belgian sources, Brugge are reluctant to let go of one of their key players and are determined to keep him during the January transfer window.
Onyedika’s journey to emerging as one of Europe’s most wanted players started in Onitsha, where his family would sometimes have to beg for food.
“I have five brothers. At times, it was a struggle to survive,” he told Belgian publication Het Laatste Nieuws.
He was spotted by Nigerian club Ebedei’s academy, who had links with Danish club Midtjylland, and that offered a pathway to Europe for him.
“I played with the youth for one year, then I got a contract and joined the A team. Then I was loaned to Fredericia in the Danish second division,” he said.
“I did learn what it was like to play men’s football there. I became tougher. It was tough. But you have to look at the bigger picture. It pushed me to a higher level. I returned to Midtjylland a year later and suddenly played European football. That was my dream as a little boy.”
During his time at Midtjylland, Italian giants Milan monitored his progress and were interested in acquiring him, but he chose Brugge to develop his career.
Currently valued at €16m according to transfermarkt with more than two years left on his contract, the Nigerian will not come cheap with Brugge keen on keeping one of their most prized assets.
Net Worth
His net worth is estimated to be around £25 million by the Telegraph