Nathan Tella became the first Nigerian player in history to make 100 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, assisting Patrik Schick’s goal in a 2-1 Bundesliga win over Koln, as his form since returning from injury puts him back in the Super Eagles conversation.
No Nigerian has ever done what Nathan Tella did on Saturday afternoon at the RheinEnergieStadion. The 26-year-old Super Eagles winger made his 100th appearance for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga fixture against Koln, becoming the first player from Nigeria to reach that landmark for the Werkself. He marked the occasion by setting up Patrik Schick’s goal in a 2-1 victory, a performance that was part of a three-game run of strong form since his return from a injury layoff that had threatened to derail his season entirely.
Leverkusen celebrated the milestone publicly. The club posted a tribute graphic on their official X account, and the message resonated with Nigerian football fans who have watched Tella navigate a difficult season with patience and professionalism. He arrived at Leverkusen three seasons ago from Southampton and immediately became part of one of the most remarkable stories in modern German football: the 2023-24 Bundesliga season in which Xabi Alonso’s side went the entire campaign without losing a single league match and were crowned champions. Tella played a significant role in that historic title run. Fans who want to follow Nigerian players in the Bundesliga through the final weeks of the season can get started with the Bet9ja YOHAIG promo code before the weekend’s fixtures.
This season has been harder. Recurring injuries limited his minutes significantly, and there was speculation earlier in the campaign that Leverkusen might consider a loan or permanent sale in the summer window. The club answered that question definitively by handing Tella a contract extension to 2031. The faith has been repaid quickly: since returning to consistent action a fortnight ago, his contributions have been exactly what Leverkusen need as they push for a Champions League spot, currently sixth in the table, just two points behind the top four.
The Super Eagles Angle
Tella made his Super Eagles debut in 2023 but has not featured under Eric Chelle since the Franco-Malian coach took over. The absence is partly circumstantial, a combination of injury timing and squad competition in wide areas, but 100 appearances for a Champions League-calibre club at 26 is the kind of CV entry that demands attention from any national team coach building for the future.
Chelle’s summer schedule is packed. The Unity Cup in May, a friendly against Poland on June 3, and a friendly against Portugal on June 10 represent three consecutive international windows where wide players will be needed. With Ademola Lookman nursing an adductor injury and Samuel Chukwueze’s form at AC Milan inconsistent, a Tella in the kind of rhythm he is currently showing at Leverkusen makes a compelling case for inclusion. Bet9ja’s YOHAIG welcome bonus is available for new users following the Super Eagles’ summer programme from the Unity Cup through to the Portugal friendly.
What the Milestone Means
One hundred appearances for a club of Bayer Leverkusen’s standing is not a number that arrives by accident. It demands sustained quality, positional flexibility, the trust of coaching staff across multiple managerial regimes, and the ability to compete for a starting place in a squad routinely stocked with international talent. Tella has done all of that. He has played in the Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal and the UEFA Champions League in those 100 games, facing some of the best players in world football on a regular basis.
For a player who began his senior career in the English Championship with Aston Villa’s academy pathway before heading to Southampton and then Germany, reaching this milestone at one of Europe’s most admired clubs is a genuine achievement. Nigerian football should celebrate it more loudly. Those tracking Tella’s progress and the wider Super Eagles summer build-up can find all the relevant details at Bet9ja’s Bundesliga betting page ahead of the final weeks of the German season.
📌 Did You Know?
- Bayer Leverkusen’s 2023-24 Bundesliga title was won without losing a single league match across the entire 34-game campaign, the first time any team in the 61-year history of the Bundesliga had achieved an unbeaten title-winning season.
- Nathan Tella was born in London to Nigerian parents and came through Arsenal’s youth academy before moving to Southampton, where he developed into a consistent Championship and Premier League player before his move to Germany.
- Bayer Leverkusen’s contract extension keeping Tella at the BayArena until 2031 represents a significant statement of faith from a club that has become one of Europe’s most admired operators in the transfer market for their ability to develop and retain talent.
- Patrik Schick, who scored the goal Tella assisted on Saturday, is a Czech Republic international who joined Leverkusen from AS Roma in 2021 and has been one of the Bundesliga’s most consistent goal-scorers since his arrival in Germany.
- The RheinEnergieStadion in Koln, where Saturday’s match was played, is one of the Bundesliga’s largest grounds with a capacity of over 50,000 and has hosted multiple major international tournament matches including games at Euro 2024.
- Tella is the first Nigerian player to reach 100 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen, a milestone that places him ahead of any other Nigerian who has represented the club in its history, which stretches back to the club’s founding in 1904 as a workers’ sports club for Bayer AG employees.
- Samuel Chukwueze, Tella’s Super Eagles teammate, also plays in the Bundesliga’s top-level European competition ecosystem through AC Milan’s Champions League participation, meaning Nigeria currently has two wide attackers with sustained exposure to the very highest level of European club football.
