Paul Onuachu Breaks into the Top 10 Scorers in Europe

Istanbul—Paul Onuachu’s renaissance in Turkey has reached a new peak. The 31-year-old Nigerian striker climbed into the exclusive circle of Europe’s top-ten marksmen on Saturday night, his 16th goal in 19 Süper Lig outings for Trabzonspor lifting him to eighth place in the continent-wide scoring chart.

Onuachu struck even as Trabzonspor fell 3-2 to league leaders Fenerbahçe in a pulsating 22nd-round contest, underlining his habit of producing goals when it matters. The towering forward, signed permanently last summer after a productive loan from Southampton, has rewarded the Black Sea club’s investment with a strike rate that now sits alongside the game’s most feared finishers.

Europe’s current goal kings remain Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, who leads the pack with 26 goals in 22 matches, and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé, second with 23 in 22. Yet Onuachu’s hot streak places him just behind Brentford’s Igor Thiago (17) and level with Mallorca’s Vedat Muriqi (16), while edging ahead of Morocco’s Yanis Begraoui, whose 15 goals for Portuguese side Estoril complete the top-ten list.

With the season entering its decisive stretch, Trabzonspor will look to their in-form hitman to keep firing as they chase silverware, while Onuachu will aim to close the gap on the luminaries above him and further embellish the most prolific campaign of his professional career.