Onazi, 33, Signs for Lithuanian Club FK Babrungas

Back to Lithuania, But a Different League

Ogenyi Onazi has sealed a move to Lithuanian second division side FK Babrungas Plunge, as reported by FootballInNigeria.com.ng. The defensive midfielder will wear the number 23 jersey at his new club, beginning a fresh chapter in the Baltic nation where he has played before.

This isn’t Onazi’s first taste of Lithuanian football. He previously represented FK Žalgiris, the country’s top club and regular Champions League qualifiers, back in 2021. This time around, it’s a step down to the second tier, Babrungas Plunge competing in Lithuania’s I Lyga, a level below the top-flight A Lyga.

The 33-year-old most recently turned out for SSD Città di Acireale, a Serie D side in southern Italy, before this move. Prior to that, he had a stint with Charlotte Independence in USL League One in the United States in 2025.

A Career That Crossed Every Continent

It’s worth pausing to think about how far Onazi has traveled since leaving Jos as a teenager. He joined Lazio in 2011, where he became one of the most exciting young midfielders in Serie A. He spent six years in Rome, playing in the UEFA Europa League, the Coppa Italia, and going toe-to-toe with the best in Italian football.

After leaving Lazio, the journey took him to Trabzonspor in Turkey for four seasons, then to Denizlispor, Al-Adalah in Saudi Arabia, SønderjyskE in Denmark, Casertana back in Italy’s lower leagues, Kitchee SC in Hong Kong, and eventually America. Babrungas Plunge now becomes his eleventh club as a professional.

For Nigerian football fans who grew up watching him anchor midfield in green and white, each new signing carries a mixture of nostalgia and curiosity. Onazi was the kind of player who made you believe in midfield excellence, composed, aggressive, and technically sharp. He’s still playing professional football at 33, and that, in itself, says something about his mentality.

What This Means for His Super Eagles Legacy

Onazi’s last major tournament for Nigeria was the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, though he didn’t feature in any of the team’s three matches. His peak with the Super Eagles came earlier, at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, where Nigeria won the tournament in South Africa, and at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where he started all four of Nigeria’s matches before they were eliminated by France.

He also represented Nigeria at youth level, including the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup on home soil in Nigeria, where the Golden Eaglets reached the final before losing to Switzerland. That 2009 side produced several players who would go on to serve the Super Eagles, and Onazi was one of its brightest talents.

Now, at 33, the national team chapter is long closed. But watching him find a club, any club, still speaks to a determination that defined his best years. Fans of Nigerian football who want to follow his new adventure in the Lithuanian second division can track his progress via FootballInNigeria.com.ng.

The Bigger Picture: Nigerian Players and Late-Career Moves

Onazi’s signing for a Lithuanian second division club raises an interesting conversation about career sustainability among Nigerian footballers. Not every player lands a lucrative retirement contract in the Middle East or MLS. Some, like Onazi, keep playing because the love for the game is genuine.

It’s a different path from what his Lazio days suggested, but it’s his path. And for fans who’ve followed him since those electric early Serie A displays, there’s still something compelling about seeing him lace up boots on a Lithuanian pitch in 2026.

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