 Sadiq withNigeria at the2016 Summer Olympics | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Umar Sadiq Mesbah | ||
| Date of birth | (1997-02-02)2 February 1997 (age 28) | ||
| Place of birth | Kaduna, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Real Sociedad | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Kuso Boys | |||
| Future of Africa | |||
| Football College Abuja | |||
| 2014–2015 | Spezia | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2016 | Spezia | 0 | (0) |
| 2014 | →Lavagnese (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | →Roma (loan) | 6 | (2) |
| 2016–2020 | Roma | 0 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | →Bologna (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2017 | →Torino (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2018 | →NAC Breda (loan) | 12 | (5) |
| 2018 | →Rangers (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2019 | →Perugia (loan) | 17 | (3) |
| 2019–2020 | →Partizan (loan) | 24 | (12) |
| 2020 | Partizan | 10 | (6) |
| 2020–2022 | Almería | 79 | (40) |
| 2022– | Real Sociedad | 38 | (4) |
| 2025 | →Valencia (loan) | 16 | (5) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016 | Nigeria U23 | 6 | (4) |
| 2022– | Nigeria | 12 | (1) |
Medal record | |||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 7 November 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18 November 2024 | |||
Umar Sadiq Mesbah (born 2 February 1997) is a Nigerian professionalfootballer who plays as astriker forReal Sociedad and theNigeria national team.
Sadiq formerly represented theNigeria national under-23 team and was an important member of the squad that won a bronze medal at the2016 Summer Olympics.[1]
Born inKaduna, Sadiq started playing football on the streets of his hometown at an early age.[2] He later played for local team Kusa Boys,[3] before joining the Future of Africa Football Academy and finally the Football College Abuja.[2] In June 2013, Sadiq traveled with FCA to Croatia and participated at theKvarnerska Rivijera youth tournament.[4] He finished as the competition's top scorer and helped his team become the champions.[4]
Following his promising performances in Croatia, Sadiq was acquired by Italian clubSpezia. He failed to make any first-team appearances, but played regularly for the youth setup. In the 2014–15 season, Sadiq became theCampionato Primavera top scorer, tallying an impressive 26 goals in 24 games.[5]
Shortly upon joining Spezia, Sadiq was loaned toSerie D sideLavagnese, making his senior debut in the final round of the2013–14 season.[6]
In July 2015, Sadiq joinedRoma on a one-year loan. He was transferred alongside his teammate and compatriotNura Abdullahi for €250,000 each with a buyout clause of €1,250 million per player.[7] Having bagged eight goals in his first three Primavera matches for Roma, Sadiq made hisSerie A debut on 21 November, replacingJuan Iturbe after 88 minutes in a 2–2 away draw againstBologna. He scored his first goal on 20 December, netting only seven minutes after coming on as an 82nd-minute substitute forMohamed Salah, helping his team to a 2–0 home win overGenoa.[8] On 6 January 2016, Sadiq bagged his second goal in his first start for Roma, opening the scoring in the 7th minute of an eventual 3–3 away draw againstChievo.[9] He finished the season with two goals in six Serie A appearances.
On 21 June 2016, it was announced that Roma exercised the option and signed Sadiq, as well as Nura, permanently until 30 June 2020.[10] He traveled with the first team to the United States for the2017 International Champions Cup, scoring in his only appearance againstParis Saint-Germain, as Roma lost after penalties.[11]
On 31 August 2016, Sadiq was sent on loan toBologna until the end ofthe season with a purchase option.[12] He appeared in sevenSerie A games, before returning to Roma.
On 16 August 2017, it was announced that Sadiq would be joiningTorino on loan until 30 June 2018.[13] The deal included an option to make the move permanent with a buyback clause in favour of Roma.[14]
In January 2018, Sadiq moved on a six-month loan to Dutch sideNAC Breda with an extension option.[15] He helped the club narrowly avoid relegation, contributing with five goals in 12Eredivisie appearances.
In July 2018, Sadiq joinedScottish Premiership sideRangers on aseason-long loan.[16] After just four first-team appearances in all competitions, his loan spell was terminated by the end of the year.[17]
In January 2019, Sadiq joinedSerie B sidePerugia for the remainder ofthe season.[18] He scored three times in 17 appearances, helping his team to an eight-place finish with a chance to win promotion to Serie A via the playoffs. However, Perugia lost in the preliminary round toVerona after extra time.
In early July 2019, Sadiq completed his loan move to Serbian clubPartizan that included an option to buy.[19] He made his official debut in a 1–0 away league win againstInđija on 21 July. On 4 August, Sadiq netted his first goal for the club in a 4–0 home league victory overMačva Šabac. He subsequently scored the opener in an eventual 3–1 home win versus Turkish clubYeni Malatyaspor in the first leg of theEuropa League third qualifying round.[20] Sadiq played his firstEternal derby on 22 September in a 2–0 win over bitter rivalsRed Star. Sadiq spent 64 minutes on the field when he was replaced bySeydouba Soumah.[21] On 3 October, he netted a brace to give his team a 2–1 away victory againstAstana in Europa League'sGroup L. He scored his first seniorhat-trick in a 6–2 home league win overJavor Ivanjica on 22 November.[22]
On 5 October 2020, Sadiq joined SpanishSegunda División sideUD Almería on a five-year contract.[23]
On 1 September 2022, Sadiq signed a contract withReal Sociedad until the end of the 2027–28 season.[24] Only two days later Sadiq scored first goal on his debut in a 1–1 home draw againstAtlético Madrid.[25] On 8 September, Sadiq played 46 minutes atOld Trafford in a 0–1 victory overManchester United.[26] Three days later, during Real Sociedad's La Liga fixture againstGetafe, Sadiq suffered anAnterior cruciate ligament injury and was later ruled out of the season after undergoing surgery.[27]
At the start of the2023–24 La Liga campaign, Sadiq returned to the pitch as Real Sociedad heldGirona to a 1–1 draw. The Nigerian international came on as a substitute forMikel Oyarzabal in the 74th minute.[28] Sadiq came off the bench in the 72nd minute, again replacing Oyarzabal, againstInter Milan for hisUEFA Champions League debut.[29] On 26 November 2023, Sadiq scored his first goal of the season in a 2–1 win overSevilla.[30]
On 4 January 2025,Valencia announced that they had reached an agreement withReal Sociedad to sign Sadiq on loan until 30 June 2025.[31]
In July 2016, Sadiq was named inNigeria's final 18-man squad for the2016 Summer Olympics.[32] He appeared in all six of his team's games and scored four goals inthe process, including a brace in the third-place victory overHonduras.[33]
After two successful seasons at Partizan and a move to the rising Almería, Sadiq received a call-up to theNigerian national team for the2021 African Cup of Nations qualifying matches againstBenin andLesotho on 27 and 30 March 2021 respectively.[34]
On 29 December 2023, Sadiq was named in the Nigerian squad for the2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.[35] However, he sustained an injury in early January 2024 and was replaced byPaul Onuachu.[36]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Spezia | 2013–14 | Serie B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Serie B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2015–16 | Serie B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Lavagnese (loan) | 2013–14 | Serie D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Roma (loan) | 2015–16 | Serie A | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 2 | ||
| Roma | 2016–17 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2018–19 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2019–20 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 2 | ||||
| Bologna (loan) | 2016–17 | Serie A | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| Torino (loan) | 2017–18 | Serie A | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| NAC Breda (loan) | 2017–18 | Eredivisie | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 5 | |||
| Rangers (loan) | 2018–19 | Scottish Premiership | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |
| Perugia (loan) | 2018–19 | Serie B | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1[d] | 0 | 18 | 3 | ||
| Partizan (loan) | 2019–20 | Serbian SuperLiga | 24 | 12 | 3 | 0 | — | 12[c] | 5 | — | 39 | 17 | ||
| Partizan | 2020–21 | Serbian SuperLiga | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 3[c] | 0 | — | 13 | 6 | ||
| Total | 34 | 18 | 3 | 0 | — | 16 | 5 | — | 52 | 23 | ||||
| Almería | 2020–21 | Segunda División | 40 | 20 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | 43 | 22 | |||
| 2021–22 | Segunda División | 36 | 18 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 38 | 19 | ||||
| 2022–23 | La Liga | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 79 | 40 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | 84 | 43 | |||||
| Real Sociedad | 2022–23 | La Liga | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | — | 3 | 1 | ||
| 2023–24 | La Liga | 26 | 3 | 6 | 0 | — | 4[e] | 0 | — | 36 | 3 | |||
| 2024–25 | La Liga | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3[c] | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | |||
| 2025–26 | La Liga | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 38 | 4 | 8 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | — | 54 | 4 | ||||
| Valencia (loan) | 2024–25 | La Liga | 16 | 5 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 19 | 6 | |||
| Career total | 214 | 77 | 19 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 260 | 86 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 2022 | 7 | 1 |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 12 | 1 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 January 2022 | Roumdé Adjia Stadium,Garoua, Cameroon |  Guinea-Bissau | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2021 Africa Cup Of Nations |
Roma Primavera
Almería
Nigeria U23
Individual
Nigeria squads | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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