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Nigerian footballer (born 1994) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cyriel Kolawole Dessers (born 8 December 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Scottish Premiership club Rangers. Born in Belgium, he plays for the Nigeria national team.
.jpg) Dessers with Utrecht in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cyriel Kolawole Dessers[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 8 December 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Tongeren, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Rangers | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| FC De Zwaluw Vechmaal | |||
| Union FC Rutten | |||
| K.S.K. Tongeren | |||
| Sint-Truiden | |||
| –2011 | K.S.K. Tongeren | ||
| 2011–2014 | OH Leuven | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014 | OH Leuven | 1 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | Lokeren | 32 | (4) |
| 2016–2017 | NAC Breda | 36 | (22) |
| 2017–2019 | FC Utrecht | 40 | (12) |
| 2019–2020 | Heracles Almelo | 26 | (15) |
| 2020–2022 | Genk | 38 | (10) |
| 2021–2022 | → Feyenoord (loan) | 27 | (9) |
| 2022–2023 | Cremonese | 26 | (6) |
| 2023– | Rangers | 44 | (19) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2020– | Nigeria | 6 | (2) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 07:52, 29 October 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:31, 26 March 2024 (UTC) | |||
Dessers has spent the majority of his club career playing in Belgian and Dutch football. He was the top scorer in the Eredivisie in the 2019–20 season, while playing for Heracles Almelo. He was the top scorer in the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League and was named in the competition's Team of the Season, while playing for Feyenoord.
Dessers qualified to play for Nigeria at international level because of his Nigerian mother. He made his senior international debut in October 2020.
Dessers joined OH Leuven's youth system from K.S.K. Tongeren at the age of 16 in 2011.[2] He had previously played youth football for FC De Zwaluw Vechmaal, Union FC Rutten and Sint-Truiden.[3] He began studying law at university (KU Leuven) while playing for OH Leuven's youth teams.[2] During the 2013–14 season, Dessers stood out for OH Leuven's under-19 and reserve teams, scoring 21 goals in 21 reserve games by March.[4] With OHL in danger of relegation and several first-team strikers either out of shape, injured or suspended, he was given his first minutes in the first-team in a 3–2 away loss against Mons.[5]
In April 2014, Dessers signed a two-year deal with Lokeren.[6]
In July 2016, he signed for Eerste Divisie club NAC Breda on a contract until the summer of 2019.[7] On 28 May 2017, they were promoted to the Eredivisie after a 4–1 victory over NEC, in which Dessers scored three goals.[8] He finished the season with 29 goals in 40 matches.[9]
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In July 2017, Dessers moved to FC Utrecht, agreeing a contract for three years with an option for an additional year.[10]
Dessers joined Heracles Almelo in July 2019.[11] After the 2019–20 Eredivisie season was abandoned, he was jointly awarded the top goalscorer award alongside Steven Berghuis, with 15 goals each.[12]
On 30 June 2020, Dessers moved to Genk on a four-year deal.[13]
On 31 August 2021, Dessers returned to the Netherlands to join Feyenoord on loan with an option to buy.[14] He scored his first goal for the club on 19 September, scoring Feyenoord's fourth goal in a 4–0 away win against PSV.[15] Dessers finished the season as UEFA Europa Conference League Top scorer with ten goals in 12 matches and was also selected for the UEFA Europa Conference League Team of the Season. Overall Dessers scored 20 goals for Feyenoord in 41 matches during season 2021-22.
On 1 June 2022, Feyenoord announced that they had opted not to exercise the option to purchase Dessers' contract.[16]
On 10 August 2022, Dessers signed for Italian club Cremonese.[17] Dessers scored seven goals for Cremonese in 29 matches. Cremonese finished 19th in the Serie A table and were relegated to Serie B.
On 6 July 2023, Dessers joined Scottish Premiership club Rangers for an undisclosed fee.[18][19] He made his debut for the club on 5 August 2023, starting in a 1–0 defeat away to Kilmarnock.[20] Four days later, Dessers scored his first goal for Rangers, against Swiss club Servette in a Champions League qualifying tie.[21]
In August 2023 Dessers scored his first League Cup goal for Rangers against Greenock Morton.
In September 2023 Dessers scored what proved to be the winning goal against Motherwell.
In October 2023 Dessers scored against Hibernian.
In November 2023 Dessers scored against Dundee and Livingston.
Dessers scored another goal against Dundee and St Johnstone in the league in December and he also scored a goal against Real Betis in the Europa League.
In December 2023 Dessers was part of the Rangers team that won the Scottish League Cup.
In January 2024 Dessers scored goals against Dunbarton, Hibernian and St Mirren, the latter which proved to be the winning goal.
Dessers followed this up with doubles against Ross County and Hearts in February 2024.
Dessers scored another goal against Hibernian in March 2024.
On 21 April 2024 Dessers scored twice against Hearts to send Rangers to the final of the Scottish Cup.[22] Following this Dessers scored another winning goal against St Mirren.[23] Dessers performances were praised by his manager Philippe Clement.[24] Following this game Dessers scored his 21st goal of the season in an away match against Celtic.[25] Dessers 22nd goal of the season came from a header against Dundee at Ibrox stadium with the assist for the goal from team mate Todd Cantwell.[26]
Dessers scored his first goal in season 2024-25 in a Champions League qualification tie against Dynamo Kyiv. The goal came in the last minute of stoppage time to gain a 1-1 draw. After the match Rangers manager Clement praised Dessers performance.[27]
Dessers scored his second goal of the season in a home league match against Motherwell with the assist coming from team mate Mohamed Diomande.[28]
Dessers third goal of the season came against St Johnstone in the Scottish League Cup. In the same match Dessers also provided an assist for a goal scored by team mate Ross McCausland.[29]
A double in the league followed for Dessers against Ross County in a home match in August. The first of the two goals came from an assist by team mate Tom Lawrence. The second came from an assist by Rabbi Matondo for Dessers to score his fifth goal in six games. After the match Rangers manager Clement praised Dessers performance stating that Dessers is "becoming more and more important. He's growing as a player, that’s what we want".[30]
Dessers provided an assist for team mate Tom Lawrence in the match against Dundee United in September 2024. This proved to be the winning goal in the match.[31]
A double for Dessers followed in the next match against Dundee in the Scottish League Cup. This took Dessers goal tally for the season to 7 in 9 matches. The assists for the goals came from team mate James Tavernier and Nedim Bajrami.[32]
Born in Belgium to a Belgian father and Nigerian mother, Dessers chose to represent Nigeria at international level in December 2019.[33] Earlier in his career, he was called up to the Belgium under-21 national team for a game against Moldova, but he was an unused substitute.[3][34]
On 4 March 2020, he was called up by Nigeria head coach Gernot Rohr as part of the team players invited for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures against Sierra Leone.[35] Dessers debuted in a friendly 1–1 draw with Tunisia on 13 October 2020.[36]
In March 2024 Dessers was called up to the Nigeria team for matches against Ghana and Mali, with Dessers scoring in the Ghana match.[37]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[lower-alpha 1] | League cup[lower-alpha 2] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| OH Leuven | 2013–14 | Belgian Pro League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Lokeren | 2014–15 | Belgian Pro League | 21 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | 3[lower-alpha 4] | 0 | 2[lower-alpha 5] | 0 | 29 | 7 | |
| 2015–16 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 11 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 32 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 7 | |||
| NAC Breda | 2016–17 | Eerste Divisie | 36 | 22 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4[lower-alpha 6] | 7 | 40 | 29 | ||
| Utrecht | 2017–18 | Eredivisie | 29 | 9 | 2 | 2 | — | 5[lower-alpha 4] | 1 | 3[lower-alpha 7] | 0 | 39 | 12 | |
| 2018–19 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 4[lower-alpha 7] | 2 | 17 | 7 | ||||
| Total | 40 | 12 | 4 | 4 | — | 5 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 56 | 19 | |||
| Heracles Almelo | 2019–20 | Eredivisie | 26 | 15 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | 29 | 18 | |||
| Genk | 2020–21 | Belgian Pro League | 32 | 7 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 34 | 7 | |||
| 2021–22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[lower-alpha 8] | 1 | 1[lower-alpha 9] | 0 | 6 | 1 | |||
| 2022–23 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | |||||
| Total | 38 | 10 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 11 | |||
| Feyenoord (loan) | 2021–22 | Eredivisie | 27 | 9 | 1 | 1 | — | 13[lower-alpha 10] | 10 | — | 41 | 20 | ||
| Cremonese | 2022–23 | Serie A | 26 | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 29 | 7 | |||
| Rangers | 2023–24 | Scottish Premiership | 35 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 11[lower-alpha 11] | 2 | — | 54 | 22 | |
| 2024–25 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5[lower-alpha 12] | 1 | — | 16 | 7 | |||
| Total | 44 | 19 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 3 | — | 70 | 29 | |||
| Career total | 270 | 97 | 20 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 39 | 15 | 15 | 9 | 350 | 140 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 2020 | 1 | 0 |
| 2022 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 1 | |
| Total | 6 | 2 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 May 2022 | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, United States | 2 |  Mexico | 1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 2 | 22 March 2024 | Stade de Marrakech, Marrakech, Morocco | 5 |  Ghana | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
Genk
Feyenoord
Rangers
Individual
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