Osinachi Christian Ebere (born 4 April 1998) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a winger or forward for Liga MX club Cruz Azul. Besides Nigeria, he has played in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.
Club career Early career and Fluminense Ebere began his career in Nigeria at the ASJ Academy before moving to South America in 2017, joining the youth ranks of Rosario Central in Argentina. He subsequently moved to Brazil, where he played for Juventude's youth side before signing with Fluminense in December 2020.
He never played for Fluminense's first team, instead spending the whole of his contract out on loan. In 2021 he had spells at Metropolitano, Maringá and Paraná in Brazil's lower divisions. In 2022 he joined Pouso Alegre on loan, where he became the first Nigerian player to score in the Copa do Brasil, netting in a 2–0 first-round win over Paraná. A brief loan at Vila Nova followed before he moved to Uruguay on loan with Plaza Colonia in July 2022.
Plaza Colonia and Nacional Ebere's move to Plaza Colonia was made permanent, and he became the club's most productive attacker over the following two seasons, scoring 17 league goals in 2023. In January 2024, Nacional agreed a deal worth just over US$300,000 for around 30 percent of his economic rights, with Plaza Colonia retaining the remainder and Ebere joining initially on a season-long loan.
He scored on his Copa Libertadores debut for Nacional, converting a penalty against Academia Puerto Cabello in the first-leg of the second phase to become the first Nigerian player to score in the competition's history. A knee injury and squad restrictions on foreign players led Nacional to loan him back to Plaza Colonia on two further occasions, before he returned to Nacional in mid-2025.
Although a fringe player for much of Nacional's 2025 campaign, Ebere came off the bench to score the extra-time winner in a 1–0 victory over rivals Peñarol on 30 November 2025, sealing Nacional's fiftieth league title.
Cruz Azul On 6 February 2026, Cruz Azul announced the signing of Ebere on a three-year contract, becoming the first Nigerian player in the club's history. He made his debut on 7 February coming on for Mateo Levy in the 64th minute against defending champions Toluca. He set up the equaliser, his rebounded shot falling to José Paradela, who scored in the 77th minute of a 1–1 away draw. During the liguilla, with regular starter Gabriel Fernández injured, he started the first-leg of the quarter-finals against Atlas on 2 May and scored twice—from an Omar Campos cross in the 55th minute and from a penalty in the 87th—in a 3–2 win at Estadio Jalisco, becoming the first African player to score a brace in a Liga MX playoff match since the format's introduction in 1970 and earning the Player of the Match award. He scored again from the penalty spot in the first-leg of the semi-finals against Guadalajara, a 2–2 draw, before Cruz Azul won the second-leg 2–1 to advance 4–3 on aggregate. In the final against Pumas UNAM, Ebere started both legs; after a goalless first-leg, Pumas took an early lead in the second-leg at Estadio Olímpico Universitario on 24 May. Cruz Azul equalised in the 54th minute when Carlos Rotondi's cross, intended for Ebere, deflected off a defender for an own goal. Rotondi scored the winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time to secure a 2–1 victory and the club's tenth league title.
International career Ebere played for Nigeria at under-17 level, scoring in the semi-final of the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup as Nigeria came from behind to beat Mexico 4–2 in Concepción, Chile and reach the final. He started the final against Mali on 8 November 2015, missing an early penalty that was saved by goalkeeper Samuel Diarra, before Nigeria won 2–0 through second-half goals from Victor Osimhen and Funsho Bamgboye to claim a fifth U-17 world title.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueState leagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsMetropolitano (loan)2021—111———111Maringá (loan)2021—72———72Paraná (loan)2021Série C143————143Pouso Alegre (loan)2022Série D0011121——132Vila Nova (loan)2022Série B10————10Plaza Colonia (loan)2022Primera División152—30——182Plaza Colonia2023Primera División3517—00——3517Total5019—3000005319Nacional2023Primera División——10——102024Primera División102—0081—1832025Primera División92—11——103Total194—218100296Plaza Colonia (loan)2025Primera División221————221Cruz Azul2025–26Liga MX164——30—1942026–27Liga MX91———20111Total255—003020305Career total13132294721112018039
Honours Nacional Uruguayan Primera División: 2025 Torneo Intermedio: 2024
Cruz Azul Liga MX: Clausura 2026 Campeón de Campeones: 2026
Nigeria U17 FIFA U-17 World Cup: 2015
References
External links