Moses Daddy-Ajala Simon (born 12 July 1995) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward or left winger for club Paris FC and the Nigeria national team.

Club career

Early career Born in Jos, his father served in the Nigerian Army before his retirement. Simon is a product of the famed GBS Academy, the same football academy in Nigeria that produced the likes of Ahmed Musa. He was linked with Nigerian Premier League club Kaduna United, as many professional clubs abroad were also eager to sign him.NPFL clubs vie for teenage star 'Moses Daddy' 5 March 2013, Supersport.com On 10 May 2013, it was announced that Simon had signed a pre-contractual agreement with Dutch club Ajax to join them in pre-season training, having previously been linked with Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.Ajax sign Nigerian sensation 10 May 2013, Supersport.com He made his first appearance for Ajax on 13 July 2013 in a pre-season friendly match against De Graafschap, coming on as a substitute and scoring the third and final goal in the 64th minute of the match, in a 3–0 away win.Ajax defeats De Graafschap after win at RKC 14 July 2013, Ajax.nl He made a further appearance on 17 July, playing for the reserves team Jong Ajax in a pre-season friendly match against Voorschoten '97, scoring the second goal in the 5–0 home win.Jong Ajax wint ruim van Voorschoten 17 July 2014, Ajax Showtime On 25 July 2013, it was announced that Ajax would not sign the young Nigerian, ultimately waiving him from the pre-season roster.Moses Daddy-Ajala Simon niet onder contract bij Ajax 25 July 2014, Ajaxcafe.nlOfficial: Ajax Amsterdam Did Not Offer Moses Daddy-Ajala Simon A Contract 25 July 2014, All Nigeria Soccer After that announcement, discussions commenced with AS Trenčín; Ajax partner club in Slovakia, which is owned by former Ajax player Tschen La Ling.Moses Daddy naar AS Trencin 9 January 2014, Ajax Showtime

AS Trenčín On 13 January 2014, Simon signed a three-year contract with the Slovak side Trenčín.Nigeria U20 duo join Slovakian club 13 January 2014, supersport.comMladí Nigérijčania podpísali s AS Trenčín zmluvy na tri roky 14 January 2014, profutbal.sk He would join his compatriot Kingsley Madu.Mladí Nigérijčania podpísali s AS Trenčín zmluvy na tri roky , Profutbal.sk, citováno 9. 7. 2014 He made his league debut in a 1–1 draw against MFK Košice starting on the right wing alongside Gino van Kessel who was on loan from Ajax.MFK Košice VS. Trenčín 1-1 14 January 2014, profutbal.sk He made his club international debut during the Trenčín's 2014–15 UEFA Europa League campaign, when he was introduced during the second preliminary round of the competition, in the home match against Vojvodina Novi Sad from Serbia (played at the stadium in Dubnica, Slovakia). Simon scored a hat trick on his debut in the 4–0 win at home.Predkolo EL: Košice prehrali, Trenčín vyhral 4:0, Trnava remizovala , SME.sk, citováno 16. 7. 2014 AS Trenčín would eventually get eliminated in the following round, drawing at home, and falling 2–1 away against Hull City.Angličan Lawrence uspel na skúške v AS Trenčín , Profutbal.sk, citováno 13. 8. 2014

In October 2014 ESPN sports prepared a scouting report on Moses Simon and the report linked the winger with a move to Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Hull City along with a potential return to Ajax. The situation evolved into a bidding war between Dutch club Heerenveen and Gent, with the later contractually securing the winger for three years.

Gent

On 6 January 2015, it was announced that Gent had signed Moses Simon to a three-year contract.'Ajax en Heerenveen vissen achter het net' 6 January 2015, Voetbal.com He made his debut for Gent on 17 January 2015 in a 3–1 win against Royal Mouscron-Péruwelz in league play.Moses Simon debuts in Gent win 18 January 2015, Africanfootball.com His second appearance occurred four days later in a 1–0 home win against Lokeren in the Belgian Cup, in which Simon was sent off 30 seconds after he entered the field.Moses Simon red carded in Belgium 22 January 2015 SL10.ng In his third league game, again versus Sporting Lokeren, Simon scored a hat trick after which he was named Belgian league player of the week. He quickly became a key player in coach Hein Vanhaezebrouck's formation and helped Gent win their first ever national Championship title in May 2015.KAA Gent are the Champions of Belgium 21 May 2015 KAA Gent Two months later, Simon assisted Laurent Depoitre's winning goal in the 2015 Belgian Super Cup against cup winners Club Brugge.KAA Gent win Super Cup after beating Club Brugge 16 August 2015 KAA Gent

Levante On 6 August 2018, Simon joined Spanish La Liga side Levante on a five-year contract. In March 2019 he said he was glad to be playing for the team.

Nantes On 15 August 2019, Simon was loaned out to Ligue 1 club Nantes. At the end of the season, Nantes triggered the option to buy in Simon's loan. He signed a four-year contract with the club.

On 22 December 2023, Simon extended his contract with Nantes until 2026. On 17 May 2025, he marked his 200th appearance for the club by scoring a goal in a 3–0 win against Montpellier.

Paris FC On 25 June 2025, Simon completed a permanent move to newly promoted Ligue 1 side Paris FC, signing a three-year contract. The transfer fee was reported at approximately €7 million.

International career Simon received his first call-up to the Nigeria national team by coach Daniel Amokachi in March 2015 and made his debut on the 25th of the same month in an international friendly against Uganda, when he replaced Anthony Ujah after 59 minutes in the game.Nigeria vs. Uganda match report 26 March 2015 soccerway.com Simon scored his first goal for Nigeria in an international friendly against Niger on 8 September 2015, the second in a 2–0 win.Nigeria vs. Niger match report 8 September 2015 soccerway.com He was selected by Nigeria for their 35-man provisional squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

In May 2018, he was named in Nigeria's preliminary 30-man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. However, he did not make the final 23 due to injury. He was included in the country's 23-man squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

On 11 December 2025, Simon was called up to the Nigeria squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. On 25 September 2026, he made his 100th international appearance in a 2–1 victory over Madagascar during the 2027 AFCON qualification.

Career statistics Club

+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsTrenčín2013–14Slovak Super Liga147———1472014–15Slovak Super Liga1962143—2510Total33132143—3917Gent2014–15Belgian Pro League9630—812072015–16Belgian Pro League2423050914132016–17Belgian Pro League23320100724252017–18Belgian Pro League205202091336Total761610017033513621Levante2018–19La Liga19140——231Nantes (loan)2019–20Ligue 126521—23309Nantes2020–21Ligue 133610—203662021–22Ligue 130640——3462022–23Ligue 13453080104652023–24Ligue 122300——2232024–25Ligue 132810——338Nantes total17733111805320137Paris FC2025–26Ligue 129300——293Career total3346627229338842879

International

+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsNigeria20158320165020175120183020191212020202021802022122202372202415020251412026112Total10212

Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Simon goal.

+ List of international goals scored by Moses SimonNo.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition18 September 2015Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt, Nigeria42–02–0Friendly211 October 2015Edmond Machtens Stadium, Brussels, Belgium62–03–0Friendly317 November 2015Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt, Nigeria81–02–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification44 September 2017Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaoundé, Cameroon171–01–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification521 March 2019Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba, Nigeria223–13–12019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification615 January 2022Roumdé Adjia Stadium, Garoua, Cameroon453–03–12021 Africa Cup of Nations713 June 2022Stade Adrar, Agadir, Morocco532–010–02023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification827 March 2023Estádio 24 de Setembro, Bissau, Guinea Bissau571–01–02023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification916 October 2023Estádio Municipal de Portimão, Portimão, Portugal603–13–2Friendly1031 May 2025Brentford Community Stadium, London, England811–02–22025 Unity Cup1127 March 2026Mardan Sports Complex, Antalya, Turkey961–02–12026 Jordan International Tournament1231 March 2026Mardan Sports Complex, Antalya, Turkey971–12–22026 Jordan International Tournament

Honours Gent Belgian Pro League: 2014–15 Belgian Super Cup: 2015

Nantes Coupe de France: 2021–22 Nigeria

Africa Cup of Nations runner-up: 2023; third place: 2019, 2025 Unity Cup: 2025 Orders Member of the Order of the Niger

References

External links

Profile at the Paris FC website