Henry Onyekuru of Nigeria and Demirspor.Getty.

Onyekuru reveals Belhanda influence: ‘If you don’t come to Adana Demirspor, I will cut your head off'

  • Onyekuru played alongside Belhanda at Galatasaray
  • He joined Belhanda at Demirspor on a loan deal
  • Onyekuru has four league goals from 12 matches

WHAT HAPPENED: On July 10, 2022, Demirspor confirmed the signing of the Nigeria star from Olympiacos on a season-long loan until the end of the 2022-23 campaign, with an option to buy.

The 25-year-old Onyekuru had sealed a permanent move to the Greek elite division side after an unsuccessful spell at Ligue 1 outfit AS Monaco before making the loan move. The forward has explained how Belhanda influenced him to sign for Demirspor.

WHAT HE SAID: “I think if I remember correctly, Belhanda said something like ‘If you don’t come to Adana Demirspor, I will cut your head off, I will break your head. [Laughing] Of course, it was a joke,” Onyekuru said, as per Fanatik.

Article continues below

“The reason why he wanted to is that we already have a friendship from the past, we played together on the field. On this occasion, he asked me to come, thinking that we would better understand and adapt to each other on the field. It was such a moment.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Onyekuru and Belhanda's friendship started in Galatasaray during another loan spell between 2017 and 2021.

Onyekuru, who has already won 15 caps for Nigeria's Super Eagles and scored one goal, has so far notched four for Demirspor from 12 appearances. Last season at Olympiacos, he managed 14 matches but did not find the back of the net

WHAT NEXT: He will hope to feature when Demirspor face Sampdoria in a friendly at The New Adana Stadium on Wednesday before they face Risespor in the Turkish Cup fifth-round fixture at the same venue on December 22.

However, Demirspor, who are placed third on the 13-team league table with 24 points from 13 matches, will resume their Super Lig action against Fatih Karagumruk at The New Adana Stadium on December 25.

Advertisement