Frank Onyeka

Ogochukwu Franklin Onyeka (born 1 January 1998) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Coventry City, on loan from Brentford, and the Nigeria national team.

Early life and career

Onyeka was born on 1 January 1998 in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, the second oldest of five siblings. He has stated that his mother was not supportive of him playing football early on: "She wanted us to study, because the opportunity of becoming a football player at that point was slim. She would rather I went to school than play football."

Aged 15, while playing for local club Faith Motors Academy, he was noticed by Churchill Oliseh, owner and manager of FC Ebedei—a club with ties to Midtjylland in the Danish Superliga—and the man credited for discovering Nigerian international Obafemi Martins. Before joining FC Ebedei, Onyeka supported his family by doing roofing work. His move to Ebedei, located in Sagamu, Ogun State, more than 250 kilometers from Benin City, was the first time he was away from home, and required significant adjustments. Despite the distance and his prior responsibilities, Onyeka remained committed to pursuing his dreams, something he later recognised as instrumental in developing a resilient mindset.

Club career

Midtjylland

After moving from Nigerian club FC Ebedei to cooperation club FC Midtjylland in Denmark in January 2016, Onyeka established himself as part of the club, and on 20 September 2017 he made his first-team debut in the Danish Cup in a 7–0 win over Greve Fodbold where he also scored. Onyeka went on to make his Danish Superliga debut for the club a few months later in the club's 2017–18 campaign in a match against AC Horsens on 9 February 2018. There, he also scored, and was a key part in the 2–0 win. Onyeka distinguished himself again in the next fixture, on 18 February, against the leading Superliga team from FC Copenhagen, where he scored his second league goal for the club at the right winger position as Midtjylland beat the capital side 3–1. He was subsequently praised by head coach Jess Thorup for his positional versatility and maturity.

Onyeka made his UEFA Champions League debut in the following season, in Midtjylland's qualifier against Astana FC on 24 July 2018.

Brentford

Onyeka signed for newly promoted Premier League side Brentford on 20 July 2021 for an undisclosed fee. He made his competitive debut for the club on 13 August, the first matchday of the season, starting in a 2–0 victory against Arsenal; the Bees first ever Premier League win.