'Incredible player' - Genclerbirligi GK says he knew Onuachu was targeting Goal King award

Gençlerbirliği goalkeeper Ricardo Velho admitted his side paid special attention to Paul Onuachu ahead of their decisive Turkish Süper Lig clash against Trabzonspor, knowing the Nigerian striker was chasing the league’s Goal King award.

Trabzonspor’s hopes of ending the campaign on a positive note were dashed after suffering a disappointing 3-0 home defeat to Gençlerbirliği in their final league match of the season.

The result also denied Onuachu the opportunity to finish as the outright top scorer in the Turkish top flight.

The Super Eagles forward entered the fixture level with Istanbul Basaksehir and Uzbekistan striker Eldor Shomurodov in the race for the Golden Boot after both players finished the season with 22 goals.

While Shomurodov found the net on Saturday to reach the mark, Onuachu failed to respond, extending his goal drought to seven matches.

Despite the disappointing end to the campaign, Onuachu’s performances throughout the season earned widespread praise across Turkey, including from opposition goalkeeper Velho, who acknowledged the threat posed by the towering forward before kickoff.

“Onuachu is a truly incredible player, and we knew before the match that he was trying to become the top scorer. We also knew he would try to score,” Velho said, as quoted by Gunebakis, after the encounter, reflecting on Gençlerbirliği’s defensive approach against the Trabzonspor striker.

Onuachu had enjoyed a sensational run earlier in the season, scoring in eight consecutive league matches to establish himself as one of the most feared attackers in the Süper Lig.

His outstanding form helped Trabzonspor remain competitive in the league and placed him firmly in contention for the Golden Boot heading into the closing weeks of the campaign.

However, the former Southampton striker struggled for goals during the final stretch of the season, failing to score in his last seven appearances as Trabzonspor’s form also dipped significantly.

Despite his late-season drought, the Nigerian striker still finished the campaign with an impressive return of 22 league goals from just 30 appearances

By comparison, Shomurodov required 34 matches to reach the same total, leaving Onuachu’s output looking even more sharp in terms of minutes and matches needed to hit the same mark.