Nigerian striker Imoh Ezekiel has completed a free transfer to Kazakhstan Premier League club FC Kaisar, where he is set to line up alongside former Super Eagles winger Victor Moses ahead of a debut against Astana on Monday.
Kazakhstan Gets Another Nigerian Veteran
FC Kaisar, the Kyzylorda-based Kazakhstan Premier League club, are building something unusual: a Nigerian connection. The club has now confirmed the signing of Imoh Ezekiel, the 32-year-old forward who left Albanian club KF Pogradeci in January 2026. He arrives on a free transfer, as confirmed by FC Kaisar through official channels.
The timing matters. Ezekiel’s arrival follows that of former Super Eagles winger Victor Moses, who joined Kaisar in January on a one-year deal after leaving EFL League One side Luton Town. The two Nigerian forwards are now in line to make their competitive debuts for the club together, with Kaisar’s next Kazakhstan Premier League fixture against FC Astana scheduled for Monday, March 16.
As FootballInNigeria.com.ng has reported, both Moses and Ezekiel missed Kaisar’s opening league match against FK Zhenys on March 8 due to travel complications caused by the ongoing Middle East conflict, which disrupted air routes out of Dubai. That situation now appears to have been resolved, with both players having arrived in Kazakhstan.
A Career That Has Taken Ezekiel Across the Globe
Imoh Ezekiel is not a player who has stayed still. Over a career spanning more than a decade, the 32-year-old has turned out in Belgium, Qatar, Spain, Turkey, Albania — and now Kazakhstan. He’s a product of 36 Lion FC in Nigeria and went on to play for clubs including Standard Liège, RSC Anderlecht, Konyaspor, UD Las Palmas, KV Kortrijk, Al-Arabi SC, Al Jazira Club, Al Dhafra FC, Lalitpur City FC and UTA Arad.
That is an extraordinary breadth of football experience. Not every striker who exits Europe’s top leagues continues to find opportunities, but Ezekiel’s durability and adaptability have kept him relevant well into his thirties. He left KF Pogradeci in January of this year when his contract expired, and it didn’t take long for Kaisar to come knocking.
The Rio Bronze Medal Man
The most defining chapter of Ezekiel’s international career came in 2016. He was part of the Nigeria U23 squad that won bronze at the Rio Olympics, starting five of the team’s six matches and providing two assists throughout the competition. That tournament, which saw Nigeria defeat Honduras in the bronze medal playoff, remains one of the proudest recent moments in Nigerian football outside of the senior national team.
Ezekiel’s contribution to that team is often understated. He wasn’t the loudest name in the squad, but he was reliable, physical, and willing to do the unglamorous work that keeps a front line functioning. Those same qualities will serve Kaisar well in Kazakhstan’s demanding league environment.
Moses and Ezekiel: A Nigerian Partnership in Central Asia
Victor Moses, now 35, brings a completely different profile. A Chelsea Premier League winner in the 2016/17 season, a player who earned 38 caps for Nigeria and scored 12 goals at international level, and a man with top-flight club experience across England, Italy, Turkey and Russia. Kaisar ended the 2025 Kazakhstan Premier League season in 11th place out of 14 teams. The signing of two former Nigerian internationals signals clear ambition.
It’s a fascinating pairing. Moses the experienced winger, still sharp and motivated despite his age. Ezekiel the well-travelled striker with a relentless work rate. FC Kaisar coach Andrey Ferapontov confirmed the club is optimistic about what the duo brings once they’re fully fit: “When they rejoin, we’ll have a full squad and we’ll have a good idea of their fitness.”
With Kaisar set to face Astana on Monday, Nigerian football fans will have two familiar faces to track in Central Asia this week. For those who want to back the pair’s debut performances, the current Bet9ja promotion code provides opportunities to place bets across a range of international league markets, including selections from Central Asian football.
Why This Story Matters Beyond the Transfer
Nigerian football’s footprint continues to stretch into new territories. Kazakhstan isn’t the Premier League or Ligue 1, but it’s professional football, and two former Super Eagles players are now carrying that green-and-white identity in a league most Nigerian fans have never followed. That reach is part of what makes Nigerian football so fascinating.
Ezekiel’s journey from 36 Lion FC to the steppe of Kyzylorda is the kind of career arc that deserves recognition. It’s a reminder that for every Victor Osimhen playing in UEFA Champions League fixtures, there are dozens of Nigerian players earning their corn quietly across the world — from Albania to Kazakhstan, keeping the flag flying in corners of the football map where Nigeria rarely gets mentioned.
📌 Did You Know?
- Imoh Ezekiel started five of Nigeria’s six matches at the 2016 Rio Olympics, providing two assists as the Super Eagles won the bronze medal — one of the most recent Olympic medals in Nigerian football history.
- Victor Moses signed a one-year contract with FC Kaisar on 24 January 2026, wearing the number 11 jersey — the same squad number he wore during his most influential periods in European football.
- FC Kaisar finished 11th out of 14 teams in the 2025 Kazakhstan Premier League season, making the signings of both Moses and Ezekiel part of an ambitious push for a top-half finish in 2026.
- Moses earned 38 caps and scored 12 goals for Nigeria, and was a key figure in Nigeria’s 2013 Africa Cup of Nations triumph in South Africa — the country’s most recent AFCON title.
- Ezekiel’s club career has taken him through clubs in Belgium, Spain, Turkey, Qatar, the UAE, Nepal, Romania, and Albania — making him one of the most widely-travelled Nigerian strikers of his generation.
- Both Moses and Ezekiel missed FC Kaisar’s opening league game against FK Zhenys on 8 March 2026 due to travel disruptions from the Middle East conflict, which blocked flights from Dubai — where both players were based.
- Victor Moses began his career at Crystal Palace in England’s Championship before rising through Wigan Athletic and Chelsea, where he won the Premier League title in the 2016/17 season under Antonio Conte.
