Francis-Ikechukwu Onyeka (29 April 2007) is a German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francis-Ikechukwu Onyeka | ||
| Date of birth | 29 April 2007 | ||
| Place of birth | Gummersbach, Germany[1] | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Bayer Leverkusen | ||
| Number | 40 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| SC Borussia Lindenthal-Hohenlind | |||
| 2014–2024 | Bayer Leverkusen | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024– | Bayer Leverkusen | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | Germany U15 | 2 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Germany U16 | 8 | (2) |
| 2023–2024 | Germany U17 | 9 | (6) |
| 2024– | Germany U18 | 3 | (3) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:31, 29 October 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19:31, 29 October 2024 (UTC) | |||
Club career
editOnyeka is a youth product of SC Borussia Lindenthal-Hohenlind, before moving to the youth academy of Bayer 04 Leverkusen in 2014 where he finished his development. On 29 November 2023, he signed a professional contract with Bayer Leverkusen.[2] On 15 October 2024, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2007 worldwide.[3] On 18 October 2024, he won the 2024 U17 Fritz Walter Medal.[4] He made his senior and professional debut with Bayer Leverkusen as a substitute in a 3–0 DFB Pokal win over SV Elversberg on 29 October 2024.[5]
International career
editBorn in Germany, Onyeka is of Nigerian descent through his father.[6] He is a youth international for Germany, having played for the Germany U17s for 2024 UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualification matches.[7]
Honours
editIndividual
edit- Fritz Walter Medal: U17 Gold Medal 2024[4]
References
edit- ^ a b "Francis-Ikechukwu Onyeka | Bayer 04 Leverkusen | Player Profile". Bundesliga.
- ^ "Bayer 04 extend contract with top talent Francis Onyeka to 2027 | Bayer04.de". Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fussball GmbH.
- ^ Christenson, Marcus; Bloor, Steven; Blight, Garry (15 October 2024). "Next Generation 2024: 60 of the best young talents in world football". theguardian.com. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Hoffenheim's Tom Bischof and Bayer Leverkusen's Francis Onyeka winners of the Fritz Walter Medal - Get German Football News". www.getfootballnewsgermany.com. 18 October 2024.
- ^ "DFB-Pokal: Leverkusen - Elversberg 3:0 – Alonso feiert Traum-Freistoß!". bild.de. 29 October 2024.
- ^ "Leverkusen's Nigerian gem gets high praise from Alonso". www.afrik-foot.com. 26 October 2024.
- ^ "Nachwuchsfußball: DFB-Junioren verpassen EM – Trotz Gala-Vorstellung von Bayer-Juwel Francis Onyeka". Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. 29 March 2024.
External links
edit- Francis Onyeka at Soccerway
- Francis Onyeka at DFB (also available in German)