In this article, we look at why Scandinavia has become a great stepping stone for African talent, both for players and clubs alike.
There has long been a link between Scandinavian clubs scouting, acquiring, and signing African players. This has proved to be beneficial in both directions with the player and club profiting.
Scandinavian leagues have sometimes been described as the ‘Gateway to Europe’ and are attractive for African players due to their competitive yet accessible level, decent wages, and reputation for developing young talent. These leagues provide a platform for players to adapt to European football’s tactical and physical demands before moving on to higher-profile leagues.
African players are often signed at lower costs from local academies or clubs, allowing Scandinavian clubs to develop them and sell them for significant profits. Some players have generated millions in transfer fees for clubs and you can really hit the jackpot with the right scouting and development.
Many Scandinavian clubs establish formal partnerships with African academies to streamline talent acquisition.
The most prominent example is FC Nordsjælland’s collaboration with the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana, which has produced stars like Mohammed Kudus (West Ham), Simon Adingra (Brighton), and Kamaldeen Sulemana (Southampton).
Swedish giants AIK have an agreement with Tanzanian club Azam FC to offer players trials. Meanwhile, Oslo outfit Vålerenga have appointed a lead video scout for West Africa.
Agents have become a big part of the story as well, with Atta Aneke and Odion Igalho especially prominent in getting deals over the line. In short, this is a region of great interest to Scandinavian clubs and there have been several big success stories.
Gift for Stabæk
One of the most famous recent African players who have risen to prominence was Gift Orban. He was discovered in November 2021 by Stabæk scouts Torgeir Bjarmann and Thomas Finstad during a showcase tournament in Nigeria, organized by Nigerian agent Atta Aneke. Orban impressed the Norwegian scouts, leading to a trial with Stabæk.
Despite visa issues, he trained with the club during the 2021–22 winter, returned to Nigeria, and signed a loan deal with Stabæk from Bison FC in May 2022, with an option to buy. On the Nordic Football Podcast, an interview with then Stabaek assistant manager Hugo Vicente talked about the signing of Orban in-depth.
Orban only played 24 competitive matches for Stabaek but had an incredible return with 19 goals and 7 assists helping the club to gain promotion to the Eliteserien.
His rise was startlingly quick with Belgian side Gent signing him for £4.60m in January 2023 – a huge amount of money for a Norwegian side to obtain just after getting promoted. He has since transferred to Lyon and then Hoffenheim with combined fees totalling nearly £23m.
He’s still very young at just 22 years old and looks set for a huge future. Orban has already scored 64 career goals in 114 appearances, and it all started at Stabaek in the OBOS Ligaen.
Boniface Bodø beginnings
Victor Boniface started his football career with Real Sapphire FC, a local club in Nigeria. His early performances at the youth level showcased his potential as a powerful and skilful forward, drawing attention from scouts looking for talent in Nigeria’s vibrant football scene.
Boniface’s breakthrough came when he was scouted by Norwegian club Bodø/Glimt, whom he joined at the age of 18 in 2019. This move was pivotal, as it marked his entry into European football, allowing him to demonstrate his physicality, goal-scoring ability, and technical skill.
Interestingly, Boniface nearly joined another Norwegian club, Vålerenga, before Bodø/Glimt. Vålerenga’s then-head coach, Ronny Deila, later expressed regret for not signing Boniface after he trialed with the club, indicating that his talent was ‘evident early on’ but not immediately capitalized on by all who saw him.
Boniface made 66 appearances for Bodø/Glimt scoring 23 goals and supplying 7 assists. He was then sold to Belgian club Union Saint Gilloise for around £6m in the summer of 2022 and then less than 12 months later Bayer Leverkusen snapped him up for nearly £21m.
There was a rumoured 10% sell on clause so in total Glimt made over £8m profit on the player which demonstrates the riches in the African pathway link. Boniface is now a player with a market value of around £50m and his career has gone from strength to strength.
Daniel Daga – Next off the conveyor belt?
There has been a lot of excitement surrounding Daga, who has been compared to one of their former African players Leke James who had a great scoring record at the club.
At just 18 he already possesses a great blend of physical and technical skills. Already known for his smart positional play he’s demonstrated in his limited minutes so far that he has the footballing intelligence to potentially succeed at the highest level.
Molde are currently using him as a bench weapon but the early indications are that Daga could be latest in a long line of successful African transfers to the Scandinavian region. This so-called ‘link’ is very beneficial for everyone involved and the ideal starting point for young talent to make their mark on the European continent.
Here below we can see Daga in action in the Eliteserien for Molde vs Sandefjord in the second round:
The three aforementioned examples display the huge talent pool available in Africa and how Scandinavia provides an ideal first landing point for many.
This highlights the importance of scouting in both regions when looking for up-and-coming talent and how with Wyscout’s extensive football library - covering more than 600 competitions - you can ensure you don’t miss out on any talent, while saving time and money by removing the travel and logistic costs of scouting in person.
If you want to find out more about how to use Wyscout for your scouting, recruitment, and talent evaluation workflows, click here.
