Samuel Omorodion Aghehowa (born 5 May 2004) is a Spanish professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

for

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...

club

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

and the Spain national team. After coming through

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

's youth academy, Aghehowa began playing for the club's

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players who are under contract to a club but who do not regularly play in matches for the club's primary team. Reserve teams usually include players who are part of the larger first-team squad but ...

in 2022, being promoted to the first team in 2023. He subsequently signed with

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...

, being immediately loaned to La Liga club Alavés. In August 2024, Aghehowa joined Porto for a transfer fee of €15 million. Eligible to play for Nigeria, Aghehowa represented Spain at various youth international levels. He won a gold medal with the Spain under-23 team at the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

. He then made his senior international debut in 2024.

Club career

Granada

Born in

Melilla Melilla (, ; ) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was part of the Province of Málaga un ...

to Nigerian parents, Aghehowa moved to

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

at a young age. After playing for local side AD Nervión in his hometown of Sevilla, he joined

's youth setup in 2021. On 6 March 2022, Aghehowa made his senior debut for Granada's reserve team,

Recreativo Granada Club Recreativo Granada is a Spanish football team based in Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1947, it is the reserve team of Granada CF and currently plays in , holding home games at ''Estadio Miguel Prieto'', with a ...

, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–1

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...

home loss to Marchamalo. On 25 September, he scored his first senior goal, netting the B's equalizer in a 1–1 draw against

El Ejido El Ejido () is a municipality of Almería province, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It is located 32 km from Almería with a surface area of 227 km2, and as reported in 2014 had 84,144 inhabitants. El Ejido is the centre of pro ...

. On 20 April 2023, Aghehowa renewed his contract with the ''Nazaríes'' until 2028. Having scored 18 goals for Granada's B team throughout the 2022–23 season, helping the B team reach the

Segunda Federación Segunda Federación, previously called Segunda RFEF, also officially known as Segunda B, is the fourth tier of the Spanish football league system containing 90 teams divided into five groups. It is administered by the Royal Spanish Football Fede ...

promotion play-offs. Aghehowa made his first-team debut on 14 August 2023, starting and scoring in a 3–1 away loss against

Atlético Madrid

On 21 August, Aghehowa joined fellow top-tier side Atlético Madrid on a permanent deal, signing a five-year contract with the club, with Atlético triggering his €6 million release clause. Five days later, he was sent to

Deportivo Alavés Deportivo Alavés, S.A.D. (; ''Sporting Alavés''), usually known as Alavés, is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Basque ...

, also in the Spanish first division, on loan until the end of the season. In the 2023–24 season, he became the top scorer for his club in La Liga by scoring 8 goals, out of 9 in total having scored a goal with Granada. In July 2024, Chelsea negotiated with Atlético for the transfer of Aghehowa, offering a bid worth €40 million (£34 million), plus add-ons, but Atlético initially turned it down. He agreed personal terms with Chelsea, and both clubs agreed on a deal, but issues surrounding an ankle injury during the medical examination and image rights negotiations led to the transfer collapsing in early August. Shortly thereafter, he was excluded from first-team training, with Atlético arranging a permanent transfer for him. Aghehowa later described the experience as a "very complicated summer".

Porto

On 24 August 2024, Aghehowa joined

club

from Atlético Madrid on a five-year contract and reported €100 million release clause. Porto paid Atlético Madrid €15 million for 50% of his rights and also reserved the option to buy 15% of his rights in 2025 and 2026 for €5 million each year. He made his competitive debut for his new club in the to

rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

2–0 loss to

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP or simply Sporting (particularly within Portugal), or as Sporting Lisbon in other countries,

in the

on 31 August, and scored his first goal on 15 September, netting the winner in a 2–1 win against Farense. In his next league match, on 21 September, Aghehowa scored a brace in a 3–0 victory over

Vitória de Guimarães Vitoria or Vitória may refer to: People * Francisco de Vitoria (c. 1483–1546), a Spanish Renaissance theologian * Alberto Vitoria (1956–2010), Spanish footballer * Rui Vitória (born 1970), Portuguese retired footballer * Sofia Vitória (bor ...

at ''

Estádio D. Afonso Henriques The Estádio D. Afonso Henriques (') is a association football, football stadium in the city of Guimarães, Portugal. The stadium is home of Guimarães's most successful team, Vitória Guimarães, Vitória de Guimarães, presently competing in th ...

''. Four days later, he made his debut in European competitions, starting and scoring in a 3–2 loss away at Bodø/Glimt, during the inaugural matchday of the newly formatted

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

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; followed by two goals in a 3–3 home draw with

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

on 3 October at ''

Estádio do Dragão The Estádio do Dragão (; ') is an all-seater football stadium in Porto, Portugal, and the home ground of FC Porto since 2003. It has a seating capacity of 50,033, making it the third-largest football stadium in Portugal. Designed by Portugue ...

''. On 28 October, he scored a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...

in a 5–0 victory away against AVS in the Primeira Liga. On 10 November, Aghehowa scored the lone goal for Porto in a 4–1 away defeat to rivals Benfica in ''

O Clássico O Clássico () is the name given in Association football, football to matches between Portuguese clubs S.L. Benfica and FC Porto. Originally, the term ''O Clássico'' only referred to games played in the Primeira Liga, league, but now tends to in ...

''. This marked Porto's heaviest league loss to their arch-rivals in 60 years, a result not seen since a 4–0 defeat in the 1964–65 season. After scoring five goals in five matches and helping Porto in an unbeaten streak, he was named the league's Player of the Month and Forward of the Month. His performances throughout the season, led to Aghehowa achieved his most prolific campaign, scoring 25 goals, including 19 in the league, as Porto finished third-place in the Primeira Liga.

International career

Prior to receiving his first competitive cap for the Spain senior team in November 2024, Aghehowa was eligible to represent

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

through his parents birthplace, but he chose to represent Spain internationally. In April 2023, Aghehowa received his first call-up to the Spain under-19 national team. In July of the same year, he took part in the

2023 UEFA European Under-19 Championship The 2023 UEFA European Under-19 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-19 Euro 2023) was the 20th edition of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship (70th edition if the Under-18 and Junior eras are included), the annual international youth associ ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

, where the ''Rojita'' lost to eventual champions

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

in the semi-finals. He was a member of Spain's national team for the football tournament at the 2024 Summer Olympics, helping the team in their gold medal-winning run. Aghehowa received his first senior international call-up in November 2024 for a couple of Nations League fixtures against

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. He made his debut against the latter on 18 November at the

Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez also Estadio de Tenerife is a association football, football stadium in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. It is the home ground of CD Tenerife. With a capacity of 22,824 seats, it is the 27 ...

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife (; locally ), commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz, is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and one of the capitals of the Canary Islands, along with Las Palmas. Santa Cruz has a ...

, replacing

Álvaro Morata Álvaro Borja Morata Martín (born 23 October 1992) is a Spanish professional Football player, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Süper Lig club Galatasaray S.K. (football), Galatasaray, on Loan (sports), loa ...

at half-time, as Spain won the match 3–2.

Style of play

Aghehowa has been described by ''

The Athletic ''The Athletic'' is a subscription-based sports journalism department of ''The New York Times''. It provides national and local coverage in 47 North American cities as well as the United Kingdom. ''The Athletic'' also covers national stories ...

'' as a "modern No 9" who is "tall, quick, and physically imposing"

centre-forward In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than Midfielder, midfielders and Defender (association football), d ...

. He combines strength and aerial ability to create opportunities and threaten in the penalty area. His acceleration aids counterattacks, while his finishing shows promise with both feet and his head. He applies pressure effectively, disrupts opposition play, and contributes defensively with tracking and aerial support. His high work rate and direct approach enhance his impact in attack. According to former Atlético Madrid scout Javier Vidales, Aghehowa is "more than just a strong striker who holds up play and distributes the ball". He sees Aghehowa as playing the "role of two attackers: a target man who occupies defenders and a mobile forward who finds space. If defenders close down the spaces, he acts as a traditional No.9; if they block him, he adapts to exploit openings".

Personal life

Previously known as Samu Omorodion, Samu announced in November 2024 that he wanted to be known by his maternal surname Aghehowa to honour his mother.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Spain U23 *

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

gold medal:

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

Spain *

UEFA Nations League The UEFA Nations League is an international European football competition played by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The competition was devised to minimise friendlies a ...

runner-up: 2024–25 Individual * La Liga Play of the Month: February 2024 (with

Álex Sola Alejandro "Álex" Sola López-Ocaña (born 9 June 1999), sometimes known as Álex Ujía, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as either a right back or a right winger for Getafe CF. Club career Sola was born in San Sebastián, Gipuzko ...

) *

Player of the Month: December 2024

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aghehowa, Samu 2004 births Living people Spanish people of Nigerian descent Sportspeople of Nigerian descent Footballers from Melilla Footballers from Seville Spanish men's footballers Men's association football forwards Club Recreativo Granada players Granada CF footballers Atlético Madrid footballers Deportivo Alavés players FC Porto players La Liga players Segunda Federación players Primeira Liga players Spain men's youth international footballers Spain men's under-21 international footballers Spain men's international footballers Olympic footballers for Spain Footballers at the 2024 Summer Olympics Olympic medalists in football Olympic gold medalists for Spain Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics Spanish expatriate men's footballers Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal 21st-century Spanish sportsmen