The world is on the lookout for Nigerian striker, Gift Orban, who is considered as one of the best young players on the planet at the time of writing.
Due to his high octane performances in the past months for Gent, the 21-year-old forward has been linked to replace Harry Kane at Tottenham Hotspur, a move which could potentially be a great leap in his career.
Orban has been in scintillating form for Gent since his move to the Belgian side in January, 2023.
He has netted an impressive 26 goals in 26 appearances for his club across all competitions so far. Nine of those were hat tricks, having scored at least three goals in three of his 26 matches for Gent.
While we wait to see what path his brilliant form takes him, let's get to answering this one question that has been on the lips of many football fans around the world.
What is Gift Orban's tribe and where is he from?
Orban was born on 17 July 2002 in Benue State, Nigeria, to a Nigerian father and a Togolese mother. He grew up in Togo as well as Nigeria, and speaks French fluently.
Ethnologically, the name ‘Orban' is widely associated with the Tiv language speakers of Benue State. Studies have also shown that Gift Orban's ancestral roots are linked to both the Tiv and Idoma tribes of Benue State.
Gift Orban's tribe is Tiv, just like his father, and he is from Benue State, the state infamously referred to as the food basket of the nation.
Gift Orban and playing for the Super Eagles
By descent, Gift Orban is eligible to represent Nigeria and Togo. But despite his scintillating form in the past year in both Norway and Belgium, he is yet to receive a call-up to the Nigeria senior team, the Super Eagles.
The reason why Orban is yet to don the famous green and white shirt of Nigeria can only be answered by the Nigeria Football Federation.
Presently, Victor Osimhen is the first choice striker for Nigeria, but that does not in any way stop Orban from being invited to the team.
With the AFCON coming up next January, we'll wait and see if the calls of many Nigerians on Orban's inclusion into the Eagles set-up will be answered.
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago
