By Balogun Kamilu Lekan
The love of sports, especially football, is an inevitable habit for most Nigerians. Young, old, males and females all use the sport as a form of relaxation in one way or the other.
It is common to find fans having open verbal clashes and bantering each other at viewing centres, on social media or anywhere their games are being discussed.
It has become an identity we see as our way of life.
Below is a list of top European football clubs with the highest fanbase in Nigeria:
1. Manchester United F.C
The Red Devil, whose home ground is the old Trafford, tops the list of the football teams with the highest fan base in Nigeria.
The glorious days of Sir Alex Ferguson with the club affected the club by winning converts to support them during those periods, and it remains to date. With the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to the team, even those who weren’t United fans but Ronaldo’s fans were forced to love the club as an act of idolizing him.
2. Arsenal F.C
Arsenal won the 2002/2003 edition of the EPL with an unbeaten run. Thanks to Arsene Wenger and Thierry Henry, their star player at that time.
The football club won the heart of many Nigerians, and Henry was nicknamed Igwe, meaning King in the Igbo language.
To date, it still has one of the highest fan bases in Nigeria.
3. Liverpool F.C
Talking about indigenous and old football lovers, give it to Liverpool fans. It is a football club that wasn’t initial doing well in the English premier league at a period but dominated the whole of Europe for their Uefa Champions League glory.
The six-time European champion remains the only English team with the highest number of Uefa Champions League trophies, boasting six of them in its cabinet.
This won them lots of fans, and their current team, being one of the best English teams at this period, is still boosting their fan base at an increasing rate.
4. Chelsea F.C
The Blues, as they are fondly called, attained their most incredible and glorious days under the ownership of Russian Billionaire, Roman Abramovich.
The Roman revolution with the club won the hearts of many Nigerians and Chelsea became a household club, especially among socialites and transport workers in Nigeria.
It sits at the number four spot of the football club with the highest numbers of fans in Nigeria
5. Real Madrid F.C
The Galacticos’ fan base in Nigeria is quite overwhelming. The 14-time European champion is one of the greatest clubs in the world, and it has a fraternity of loyal fans in Nigeria.
The club is a club which never stops having star players on its team to win the heart of football lovers.
Other worthy and prominent mentions include Manchester City, Juventus, Bayern Munich, PSG, and Tottenham.
