Nigeria international Josh Maja on Sunday become only the fifth Nigerian to score on his first Premier League start.
Maja scored a brace for Fulham in Sunday night’s game away at Everton. His second half efforts sealed victory for the Craven Cottage side.
The 22-year-old forward joined Fulham in January on loan from Bordeaux. He joined the French side in January 2019.
A tweet by statistics compiler OptaJoe said other Nigerians who scored on their first Premier League starts include Efan Ekoku, John Utaka, Peter Odemwingie and Alex Iwobi.
“Josh Maja is the fifth Nigerian player to score on his first @premierleague start, after Efan Ekoku in May 1993, John Utaka in August 2007, Peter Odemwingie in August 2010 and Alex Iwobi in March 2016. Eagles,” the tweet read.
Maja played youth football with Crystal Palace, Fulham and Manchester City and began his professional career with Sunderland, making 49 appearances and scoring 17 goals.
Born in England, he made his international debut for Nigeria on September 10, 2019, in a 2–2 friendly against Ukraine, replacing Victor Osimhen in added time.
