Belgian Golden Shoe for 2021 has been awarded to Paul Onuachu, becoming the first Nigerian to win the award.
Onuachu is the first Nigerian to win the award and only the fourth African overall.
Three Africans had previously won the award: Cote d’Ivoire’s Aruna Dindane (2003), Morocco’s Mbark Boussoufa twice (2006 and 2010), and DR Congo’s Dieumerci Mbokani (2012).
The Belgian Golden Shoe award is given to the best footballer in the country’s First Division A for the previous year at the start of each year.
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Onuachu received 333 votes, beating Noa Lang (272 votes) and Charles De Ketelaere (271 votes) of Club Brugge for second and third place, respectively.
Last year, the 27-year-old came third place, behind champion Lior Refaelov of Israel and second-placed Raphael Holzhauser.
But he won this time after scoring 29 league goals during the course of the 2020-21 season and another 12 in the first half of the current season.
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With the win, Onuachu becomes only the third player from Genk to be named Belgium’s best in history and the first in 20 years.
Onuachu is currently recovering from an injury that forced him to miss the Super Eagles’ trip to Cameroon for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.