Samuel Chimerenka Chukwueze MON (// ; born 22 May 1999) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Serie A club AC Milan and the Nigeria national team.[2][3]
 Chukwueze with Villarreal in 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Samuel Chimerenka Chukwueze | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 22 May 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Abia State, Nigeria | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Right winger | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | AC Milan | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Future Hope | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Generation Academy | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2017 | Diamond Football Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Villarreal | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Villarreal B | 20 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2023 | Villarreal | 155 | (21) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | AC Milan | 24 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Nigeria U17 | 7 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018– | Nigeria | 38 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:05, 11 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:33, 10 June 2024 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life and education
Chukwueze was born in Amaokwe Ugba Ibeku, Abia State.[4] He is of Igbo descent and was brought up in a Christian family with a younger brother and a younger sister. He attended Government College Umuahia and Evangel Secondary School. He started playing football at the age of 8 and he admired Jay-Jay Okocha and Arjen Robben as his football idols growing up.[5][6][7]
Club career
Villarreal
Chukwueze joined Villarreal CF's prolific youth setup in 2017, from local side Diamond Football Academy.[8] After being initially assigned to the club's Juvenil A squad, he made his senior debut with the reserves on 15 April 2018, coming on as a second-half substitute for Sergio Lozano in a 1–1 Segunda División B away draw against CE Sabadell FC.
Chukwueze scored his first senior goal on 20 May 2018, netting his team's second in a 3–2 away defeat against Bilbao Athletic. He contributed with two goals in 11 appearances during his first season, as his side missed out promotion in the play-offs.
Chukwueze made his first-team debut on 20 September 2018, replacing Nicola Sansone in a 2–2 home draw against Rangers, for the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League.[9] He also made his Laliga debut on 5 November 2018, playing a 90-minute full play in a 1–1 home draw against Levante, for the 2018–19 La Liga.
In April 2019, he won the Nigeria Football Federation's 2018 Young Player of the Year award.[10]
On 12 April 2022, in the second leg of the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League quarter-final away to Bayern Munich, Chukwueze scored the equaliser in the 88th minute, helping Villarreal progress to the semi-finals of the tournament.[11]
On 8 April 2023, Chukwueze scored a brace and recorded an assist against Real Madrid in a 3–2 away victory.[12]
AC Milan
On 27 July 2023, Serie A club AC Milan announced the signing of Chukwueze, on a contract until 30 June 2028.[13][14] On 28 November, he scored his first goal at the club in a 3–1 home defeat against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.[15] On 13 December, he scored a later winner in the 84th minute in a 2–1 away victory over Newcastle United, which made his club to finish third in their group and qualify to the Europa League.[16] On 17 March, in a Serie A match against Hellas Verona, he came on as a substitute and scored the last goal in a 3–1 win, his first league goal for AC Milan.[17] On 14 April 2024, in the league game against Sassuolo, Chukwueze scored two goals, both of which were disallowed for microoffsides.[18]
International career
After playing for Nigeria at under-17 level, he received his first call-up to the senior team in October 2018.[19] He made his debut for the Nigerian senior team on 20 November 2018 as a starter in a 0–0 friendly draw against Uganda.[20][21]
In May 2019, Chukwueze was invited to represent Nigeria's senior team at the Africa Cup of Nations and the Under-20 team at the Under-20 World Cup. However, Villarreal said he could only play in one of the tournaments.[22] He ultimately decided to take part with Nigerian's senior squad for Africa Cup of Nations hosted in Egypt[23] and scored his first senior goal in Nigeria's 2–1 win over South Africa in the quarter finals.[24]
Style of play
Chukwueze's biggest strength is his pace and his runs in behind the defense. He is known for his blistering pace and his ability to use it effectively by drifting infield and peeling away.He feels really fast, especially in the attack, and is explosive. With the finisher chemstyle, he is very mobile and has surprisingly good ball control. Villarreal defender, Alberto Moreno has compared Chukwueze's style of play to that of Al Nassr's forward, Sadio Mane, indicating that they play football in a similar way.[25]
Chukwueze has been noted to have a weak right foot, which affects his ability to make crosses and progress possession when faced with a strong 1 v 1 defender. His predictable dribbling style can also make it challenging for him to progress the ball in certain situations. Chukwueze's defensive contribution has been described as weak, and he tends to prefer playing short passes without diving into tackles.[26]
Chukwueze is known for his pace, runs in behind the defense, and explosive playing style, which has drawn comparisons to Sadio Mane.[27][28][29]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 11 May 2024[30]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Villarreal B | 2017–18 | Segunda División B | 11 | 2 | — | — | 11 | 2 | ||
| 2018–19 | 9 | 2 | — | — | 9 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 20 | 4 | — | — | 20 | 4 | ||||
| Villarreal | 2018–19 | La Liga | 26 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 9[b] | 1 | 38 | 8 |
| 2019–20 | 37 | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | 41 | 4 | |||
| 2020–21 | 28 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11[b] | 1 | 40 | 5 | ||
| 2021–22 | 27 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 9[c] | 2 | 38 | 7 | ||
| 2022–23 | 37 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 9[d] | 3 | 50 | 13 | ||
| Total | 155 | 21 | 14 | 9 | 38 | 7 | 207 | 37 | ||
| AC Milan | 2023–24 | Serie A | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8[e] | 2 | 33 | 3 |
| Career total | 199 | 26 | 15 | 9 | 46 | 9 | 260 | 44 | ||
International
- As of match played 10 June 2024[31]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 2018 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 12 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 38 | 5 | |
- Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Chukwueze goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 July 2019 | Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt |  South Africa | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 2 | 17 November 2019 | Setsoto Stadium, Maseru, Lesotho |  Lesotho | 2–1 | 4–2 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 3 | 13 November 2020 | Ogbe Stadium, Benin City, Nigeria |  Sierra Leone | 4–0 | 4–4 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 4 | 15 January 2022 | Roumdé Adjia Stadium, Garoua, Cameroon |  Sudan | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 5 | 10 September 2023 | Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Nigeria |  São Tomé and Príncipe | 6–0 | 6–0 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
Honours
Villarreal
Nigeria U17
Nigeria
- Africa Cup of Nations runner-up: 2023[34] third place: 2019
Individual
- FIFA U-17 World Cup Bronze Boot: 2015[33]
- UEFA Europa League Top assist provider: 2020–21[35]
- La Liga African MVP: 2022–23[36]
Orders
Member of the Order of the Niger[37]
References
External links
- Samuel Chukwueze at the AC Milan website
- Samu Chukwueze at BDFutbol
- Samu Chukwueze at LaPreferente.com (in Spanish)
- Samu Chukwueze at Soccerway
- Samuel Chukwueze – UEFA competition record (archive)