OGC Nice player Terem Moffi has scored 50 goals in the French Ligue 1, achieving this milestone during their 2-1 loss to Nantes on Sunday, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.
Moffi equalized for Nice with a penalty after Nantes took the lead in the first half through Matthis Abline. However, Nantes secured a win by scoring another goal in less than five minutes, with Egypt’s Mostafa Mohamed converting a penalty.
His 50th goal in 126 games puts him third among Nigeria’s top goal scorers in the history of the French top division. John Utaka leads with 59 goals in 239 games, followed by Victor Ikpeba with 55 goals in 170 games.
Moffi is just nine goals behind Utaka and could soon become the highest-scoring Nigerian in Ligue 1, having played fewer games than Utaka and Ikpeba.
Moffi began his Ligue 1 journey at FC Lorient, scoring 34 goals in 84 games, and has added 16 more since joining Nice on loan in January. The 24-year-old made a permanent move to Nice from Lorient in the summer of 2023.
“Terem Moffi has scored 50 career Ligue 1 goals,” was posted by Ligue 1 along with graphics after Moffi's Sunday goal.
Some Nigerians also praised the striker for his performance in the French top division.
“Terem should receive more attention and playing time in the Super Eagles,” suggested Egwemi Newman.
“The Eagle keeps soaring. Congratulations Moffi,” exclaimed Forthman Jr.
“Nigerian heritage. I liked his performance in the AFCON,” commented another fan, Eberechukwu, even though the striker only played in the semi-final against South Africa, where he scored a penalty.
For his club, the loss on Sunday extended their winless streak at home to four league games. However, the Nigerian striker will be crucial for Francesco Farioli as they aim to qualify for the Champions League next season. Nice dropped to fifth place with 43 points after 23 games, three points behind Lille, and 19 points behind league leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
He is currently the club’s top goal scorer with 10 goals and two assists, having played 23 games this season.
Farioli was angry after the defeat to Nantes and urged Moffi and his teammates to perform better in their remaining seven games of the season.
“There are still seven games to go. The table is very tight, and we’ve lost points on Brest, Monaco, and Lille. But the race for Europe is still open for everyone. We’re in the middle of this mini-league. We’ll take it game by game. There are seven finals left,” the coach stated.
Their next match is against Reims on Sunday.
