Samuel Chimerenka Chukwueze (born 22 May 1999) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Serie A club AC Milan and the Nigeria national team.
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He is of Igbo descent and was brought up in a Christian family with a younger brother and a younger sister. He attended Government College Umuahia and Evangel Secondary School. He started playing football at the age of 8 and he admired Jay-Jay Okocha and Arjen Robben as his football idols growing up.
Chukwueze was born in Amaokwe Ugba Ibeku, Abia State. He is of Igbo descent and was brought up in a Christian family with a younger brother and a younger sister. He attended Government College Umuahia and Evangel Secondary School. He started playing football at the age of 8 and he admired Jay-Jay Okocha and Arjen Robben as his football idols growing up.
Chukwueze displayed an unprecedented passion for football from an early age.
He attended Government College Umuahia and Evangel Secondary School.
Inspired by Nigerian football legend Austin “Jay Jay” Okocha and Dutch winger Arjen Robben, he started playing football from the age of 8. The young boy with hopes of becoming a professional footballer was determined to achieve his dreams.
Just like most aspiring young footballers from Nigeria, he faced opposition from his family, who prioritised education, but his dedication to the sport prevailed.
Chukwueze overcame obstacles such as having his playing boots and training kit set on fire by his family, and relentlessly pursued his dream.
It was during his time at the Diamond Football Academy that he honed his skills as a winger and caught the attention of scouts during the Portuguese Iber Youth Cup in 2013, which landed him his first contract in Europe.
Chukwueze has played for two clubs so far in his career.
Villarreal
The Super Eagles winger joined Villarreal’s youth setup (Juvenil A) in 2017 from Diamond Football Academy where he honed his skills for some time.
His journey in Villarreal was not without challenges, as he faced difficulties adapting to the Spanish language and culture.
Nonetheless, Chukwueze’s sheer determination to succeed, combined with his exceptional skills, earned him a place in Villarreal’s reserves, and eventually led to his debut for the first team.
He made his senior team debut on 20 September 2018 when he replaced Nicola Sansone in a 2-2 home draw against Glasgow Rangers in the Europa League. Moreover, his La Liga debut came against Levante on 5 November 2018, a clash which ended in a 1-1 stalemate.
After scoring his first senior goal for the club against Athletic Bilbao in a 3-2 away defeat on 20 May 2018, Chukwueze has gone on to score crucial goals for the club against Bayern Munich in the 2021/22 Champions League. His 88th minute equaliser helped Villarreal to reach the semi-finals of the competition.
On 8 April 2023, the Nigerian winger bagged a brace against Real Madrid in a 3-2 victory away from home in La Liga. Later that summer, he secured a move away from the club.
AC Milan
Chukwueze signed for AC Milan on 27 July 2023 after 207 appearances for Villarreal across all competitions with 37 goals scored.
The Super Eagles winger made his debut for the Rossoneri in their opening game of the 2023/24 Serie A season. He came on as a substitute in the 73rd minute for Christian Pulisic on 21 August 2023 in a game that ended 2-0 for Milan.
He scored his first AC Milan goal in a 3-1 home defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on 28 November 2023.
The Nigerian bagged his first Serie A goal in a 3-1 home win for AC Milan against Hellas Verona on 17 March 2024. So far, he has scored three goals in 28 appearances across all competitions for the Rossoneri.
At the time of publishing, Chukwueze has three goals and three assists for AC Milan across all competitions.
Samuel Chukwueze’s international career
The international breakthrough moment for Chukwueze came during the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile, where he played a starring role in Nigeria’s success alongside Victor Osimhen and Kelechi Nwakali as teammates.
His impressive performances and goal-scoring prowess garnered interest from top European clubs, with Villarreal CF eventually securing his services.
And in October, 2018 Chukwueze received his first Super Eagles call-up. He made his senior international debut on 20 November 2018 in a friendly against Uganda, a game that ended goalless.
Chukwueze bagged his first Super Eagles goal against South Africa during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt where Nigeria defeated Bafana Bafana 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
At the time of writing, he has appeared in three different AFCON tournaments for his country and has so far scored five goals in 35 matches donning the famous green-white-green jersey.
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