Paul Onuachu scored and assisted in Trabzonspor’s 3-1 win over Fatih Karagümrük on Friday, breaking the club’s all-time record for consecutive scoring games. The Super Eagles striker, now with 18 goals in 21 league appearances, refused to take the personal glory.
The Record Nobody Saw Coming
Paul Onuachu is doing something extraordinary in Turkey. On Friday night, the Super Eagles striker scored his 18th goal of the 2025/26 Trendyol Süper Lig season to help Trabzonspor to a 3-1 home victory over Fatih Karagümrük, and in doing so, he broke a club record that had stood for over two decades.
The goal was Onuachu’s sixth in six consecutive league matches, surpassing the previous record of five set by former Trabzonspor striker and current club coach Fatih Tekke during the 2004-05 season. Tekke’s run had also gone past similar streaks recorded by Georgian legend Shota Arveladze and Brazilian forward Paulo Henrique. Onuachu has now outscored all of them.
The big Nigerian was at it from the front and from deep. He opened the scoring in the 20th minute before turning provider, setting up fellow Nigerian Chibuike Nwaiwu with a headed assist. Nwaiwu capitalised twice in quick succession after half-time to complete the 3-1 victory and keep Trabzonspor’s title ambitions firmly alive. The club currently sits third in the Süper Lig, chasing leaders Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe.
The Man Himself? Not Interested in the Praise
Ask Onuachu about his extraordinary form, and he’ll tell you he’s the least important person in the conversation. Speaking to beIN Sports after the match, he was emphatic.
“As a striker, you have to use your skills to help your team. That’s what I try to do. I can’t achieve this without my teammates. More credit should go to my teammates than to my goals.”
That kind of humility from a player in the form of his life tells you something about where Onuachu’s head is at. 18 goals in 21 league appearances, seven of them headers. He leads the Süper Lig scoring chart by a comfortable margin. Turkish football media, which hasn’t always given him his full due, is now running comparisons with Victor Osimhen. And yet, he deflects every conversation back to the team.
What This Season Means For Nigeria
Onuachu’s form since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations has been particularly striking. He’s scored in every competitive match he has played post-AFCON, racking up eight goals across league and cup competitions in that stretch alone. For a player who struggled for consistency in England’s Championship and was written off by some Nigerian football followers, this is a complete reinvention at the age of 31.
He’s not just scoring either. His link-up play with Nwaiwu in this game showed a forward who reads the game well enough to contribute even when the ball isn’t falling for him. That headed assist, creating the second goal from an aerial flick, is the kind of contribution that separates a penalty-box poacher from a complete centre-forward. Onuachu is operating as the latter right now.
Appearances: 21
Goals: 18 (leads the golden boot race)
Headers scored: 7
Consecutive scoring matches: 6 (new Trabzonspor club record)
Club position: 3rd in the Süper Lig
Previous record holder: Fatih Tekke (5 consecutive games, 2004/05)
As Trabzonspor builds on this momentum, Bet9ja’s 170% accumulator boost makes it a strong time to build multi-match wagers on Nigerian strikers performing across European leagues, with Onuachu’s consistency making him one of the most bankable names in the current Super Lig season.
📊 Analysis: Can Onuachu Carry Trabzonspor to the Title?
Trabzonspor has won the Süper Lig before. Their 2021/22 title was their first championship in 38 years. But closing the gap on Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe in a single season is a different kind of challenge. Both Istanbul clubs have superior squad depth and European commitments that can sometimes disrupt their domestic form.
Where Trabzonspor have an edge is in the form of Onuachu. One player in this kind of form can carry a team through the final stretch. The concern is whether Trabzonspor’s squad depth holds up over the remaining fixtures. Onuachu can’t do it all. But right now, he’s doing more than enough.
From a Super Eagles perspective, this is exactly the form you want from your striker before a major international window. Nigeria’s coaching staff will be watching closely as the season enters its final phase.
What Comes Next
Trabzonspor’s title push continues with upcoming fixtures that will test their resolve against the league’s top sides. Onuachu has now scored against Malatyaspor, Gaziantepspor, and now Fatih Karagümrük in this record run. Whether he can keep the streak going against stronger opponents will be the true measure of this remarkable season.
One thing is clear: Paul Onuachu, the former FC Ebedei academy product who once looked like a forgotten Super Eagles option, has reminded everyone exactly what he is capable of. He’s the best striker in Turkey right now. And he’s Nigerian.
📌 Did You Know?
- Fatih Tekke, whose five-game consecutive scoring record Onuachu has now broken, is currently Trabzonspor’s head coach. He’s watching his own record being surpassed by the man playing in what used to be his position.
- Onuachu began his professional career at FC Ebedei, a Nigerian academy club based in Agbor, Delta State, before moving to Danish club Midtjylland, where he first came to European attention.
- Before this season, Onuachu spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Southampton in England’s Championship but managed only 5 goals in 24 appearances, leading many to question whether his best years were behind him.
- Onuachu stands at 2.01 metres tall (6ft 7in), making him one of the tallest outfield players in professional football. His heading ability, with 7 headed goals this season alone, reflects that physical advantage.
- Trabzonspor’s last Süper Lig title came in the 2021/22 season, ending a 38-year wait. Should they win this season’s title with Onuachu as top scorer, it would be the first time a Nigerian player has been the league’s leading scorer in a championship-winning campaign for Trabzonspor.
- Chibuike Nwaiwu, the Nigerian defender who scored twice from Onuachu’s assist in this match, only joined Trabzonspor in January 2026. The pair’s instant chemistry suggests Nigeria’s team spirit extends well beyond the national team camp.
- According to Transfermarkt, Onuachu’s current market value stands at approximately €5 million, but his performances this season have already attracted interest from clubs outside Turkey looking for a prolific target man in the summer window.
