By Wale Mustapha
Promising Nigerian striker Gift Orban is set to make his competitive debut for German Bundesliga side Hoffenheim against VfL Wolfsburg at the PreZero Arena on Saturday.
Orban joined Hoffenheim from French Ligue 1 giants Olympique Lyon in a permanent transfer late last year.
The 22-year-old, who is also waiting for his Super Eagles debut, featured in Hoffenheim’s 3-1 friendly win against Augsburg last Monday as he continued his integration into the team.
Having had a challenging spell at Lyon, Orban will be eager to make a strong impression in his first competitive match for Hoffenheim.
His arrival is expected to provide a much-needed boost to the club’s attack, which has struggled in recent weeks.
Hoffenheim has managed just two wins in their last 10 league games, and Orban’s goalscoring abilities could be pivotal in turning their fortunes around.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
