Gift Orban
Personal information
Full name Gift Emmanuel Orban
Date of birth (2002-07-17) 17 July 2002
Place of birth Benue State, Nigeria
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Gent
Number 20
Youth career
0000–2021 Bison
2021–2022 Stabæk
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2023 Stabæk 22 (16)
2023– Gent 33 (18)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 January 2024

Gift Emmanuel Orban (born 17 July 2002) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Belgian club Gent.

Career

Stabæk

In November 2021, he was scouted by Stabæk's Torgeir Bjarmann and Thomas Finstad in Nigeria during a showcase tournament.[1] He trained with Stabæk during the winter of 2021/2022 before returning after his visa expired.[2] Returning to Norway, he signed for Stabæk in late May 2022. The transfer from Nigerian club Bison was a loan with an option to buy.[3][4]

He scored his first goals in cup matches against semi-professional teams Notodden and Gjøvik-Lyn (twice).[5] After this he became a starting player for Stabæk. His goal against SK Brann was compared to Alanzinho's time at Stabæk.[6] VG also called him a "striker jewel".[7]

When Stabæk sold Oliver Valaker Edvardsen in July, the club announced they would spend the money on Orban's buyout option.[8] The contract tying Orban to Stabæk until the end of 2026 was announced on 3 August.[9] He became the top scorer in the 2022 Norwegian First Division with 16 goals, alongside Bård Finne.[10] Helping Stabæk win promotion to 2023 Eliteserien, Orban was also named Young Player of the Year in the First Division.[11][12]

Gent

On 31 January 2023, Orban joined Belgian Pro League side Gent on a permanent deal.[13] On 11 February, Orban scored two goals on his Pro League debut in a 3–3 draw with Westerlo.[14] On 12 March, Orban managed to score four goals in a 6–2 away win over Zulte Waregem, which made him the first Gent player to do so in the 21st century. All the goals came in the second-half.[15][16] In his very next game on 15 March, he scored a first-half hat-trick in 4–1 away win over İstanbul Başakşehir in the UEFA Europa Conference League round 16. The hat-trick was scored within three minutes and 25 seconds, setting a new record for the fastest hat-trick in UEFA club competitions, breaking the previous record of six minutes and 12 seconds held by Mohammed Salah in the Champions League.[17] In the 2023–24 Europa Conference League campaign of KAA Gent, Orban scored another European hat-trick, this time against Pogoń Szczecin in the first leg of the third qualification round, resulting in a 5–0 win for Gent.[18]

Personal life

Born in Benue State, Nigeria,[19] Orban is of Togolese descent through his mother.[20]

Career statistics

As of match played 12 November 2023[21]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Stabæk 2022 Norwegian First Division 221623–2419
Gent 2022–23 Belgian Pro League 1615–6[lower-alpha 2]52220
2023–24 Belgian Pro League 113108[lower-alpha 2]82011
Total 27181014134231
Career total 49343314136650

Honours

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "'Special Gift' - striker Orban's Premier League dream" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  2. ↑ "Stabæk-spiller Gift (19): – Fotballen er min mulighet". Budstikka (in Norwegian). 7 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  3. ↑ Stormoen, Stein-Erik (20 May 2022). "Stabæks spissgave til fansen: Gift på plass" (in Norwegian). Eurosport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  4. ↑ "Tottenham considering signing 'incredible' 21-year-old striker who broke Mo Salah's record last season". The Boot Room. 31 July 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  5. ↑ Strømnes, André (29 June 2022). "Denne spissen bøtter innpå med mål". Budstikka (in Norwegian). Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  6. ↑ Korsnes, Oscar (10 July 2022). "Stabæks nye juvel scoret igjen: – Han er en gave" (in Norwegian). Eurosport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  7. ↑ Brandsnes, Håkon (10 July 2022). "Stabæks nye spissjuvel stjal showet da Branns rekordrekke ble brutt". VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  8. ↑ Aspelund, Anders Rødaas (17 July 2022). "Selger Edvardsen – erstatteren er allerede i klubben". Budstikka (in Norwegian). Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  9. ↑ Boge-Fredriksen, Hans Christian (3 August 2022). "Gift Orban forlenger med Stabæk". VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  10. 1 2 "OBOS-ligaen 2022 - Toppscorer, gule og røde kort" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Football Federation. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  11. 1 2 Steien, Vegard Kjøllmoen (29 October 2022). "Toppscoreren kåret til årets unge spiller: – Han har vært redningen" (in Norwegian). Eurosport. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  12. ↑ Obisesan, Joseph (29 July 2023). "Orban Makes Transfer Plea". Latest football news in Nigeria. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  13. ↑ "WELCOMEGIFT!" (in Dutch). K.A.A. Gent. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  14. ↑ "VIDEO: Gift Orban scores two on his debut including an iconic goal to help Gent draw at Westerlo". SportsRation. 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  15. ↑ ""Een killer die uit het niets kan scoren": Gift Orban kent strafste start in België sinds eeuwwisseling". sporza.be (in Dutch). 13 March 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  16. ↑ "Gift Orban scores Four as Gent record 6-2 win over Zulte Waregem". brila.net. 13 March 2023.
  17. ↑ UEFA.com (16 March 2023). "Orban scores fastest ever UEFA club competition hat-trick | UEFA Europa Conference League". UEFA.com. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  18. ↑ "AA Gent rolt Pogon Szczecin al voor de rust op en kan met 5-0 voorsprong naar Polen". De Morgen (in Dutch). 9 August 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  19. ↑ Lennox, Joe (28 June 2023). "Gift Orban Childhood Story Plus Untold Biography Facts". LifeBogger. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  20. ↑ "Olympic Eagles coach insists it's not the end of the world, reacts to Gift Orban no-show:: All Nigeria Soccer - The Complete Nigerian Football Portal". www.allnigeriasoccer.com.
  21. ↑ "G. Orban". Soccerway. Retrieved 16 March 2023.

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