On April 6, Lazio faced off against Atalanta in a blockbuster Serie A fixture.
All eyes were on the reigning African Player of the Year Ademola Lookman to come up clutch and deliver the goods for Atalanta; instead, it was a different Nigerian player who proved decisive.
The sole goal of the match came in the 54th minute, when Lazio goalkeeper Christos Mandas launched the ball up the pitch, where Fisayo Dele-Bashiru was there to beat Isak Hien to the ball and head it sideways into the path of Gustav Isaksen, who coolly slotted into the back of the net.
It was yet another impressive performance for Dele-Bashiru who completed 14 out of 19 passes (including two key passes), and who also completed two out of four dribble attempts.
Born in Lagos, Dele-Bashiru moved to England at a young age alongside his brother Tom and made his way through the ranks at Manchester City before joining Sheffield Wednesday in 2020.
He emerged as a crucial figure for the Owls before deciding to take his talents to Turkey in 2023, joining Hatayspor on a three-year contract. He scored eight goals in his first Süper Lig season, finishing as their joint-top scorer, including a vital goal in the final matchday in a 2-0 win vs. Rizespor to secure the club’s survival in the top-flight.
These performances prompted the attention of Lazio, who signed him on loan with an obligation to buy for €5.4 million. The Manchester City academy product has quickly emerged as a key player for the Biancocelesti, racking up 5 goals and 3 assists in 26 appearances and becoming a reliable impact sub for Marco Baroni.
After gradually biding his time on the bench, Dele-Bashiru is playing week in week out and even being given the occasional start – as was the case vs. Atalanta.
“Fisawo Dele-Bashiru is a very good player and he’s shown that with the Super Eagles and at Lazio,” stated Mutiu Adepoju. “He’s an impressive player, and if I believe that if he continues working hard, he will reach the highest level.”
“Lazio isn’t a small club, but doing well at Lazio means that he can do well in any team that he plays in…I’m actually impressed with what he’s doing at Lazio and I hope he’ll continue that way,” added Adepoju, who led Nigeria to their first-ever World Cup and won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations with the Super Eagles.
Dele-Bashiru’s versatile skillset and aggression has allowed him to slot into a number of different positions across midfield.
Capable of stepping in and making a well-timed challenge, the Nigerian has been utilized in a defensive midfield role, but he also has the engine, creativity and overall vision to play in a box-to-box central midfield role.
Moreover, his work-rate and technical finesse has seen him slot into the attacking midfield role, where he’s able to impact the final third and link up with his fellow attackers.
It’s this complete profile which has seen many Lazio fans draw comparisons to Lazio legend Sergej Milinković-Savić. He constantly backs himself to win ground duels and is capable of hoodwinking defenders with his remarkable dribbling skills, and whose efficiency in the final third enables him to find the target or pick out a teammate in a dangerous area without needing a ton of touches.
Despite often playing in a deep-lying playmaker role, Dele-Bashiru has racked up 4 goal contributions in the UEFA Europa League, second only to veteran forwards Pedro Rodríguez (6) and Valentín Castellanos (6) and midfielder Gustav Isaksen, whilst his two big chances created are second only to Pedro and Isaksen (3 and 4).
At 24 years of age, Dele-Bashiru is flourishing in Europe’s top five leagues and helping Lazio challenge at the top of Serie A, with the Italian side currently sitting one point behind sixth-placed Roma and three behind fifth-placed Juventus. And whilst they missed out on a spot in the Europa League semifinals after a heartbreaking penalty shootout vs. Bodø/Glimt, they have six matches to salvage their campaign and qualify for Europe’s major competitions.
Expect Dele-Bashiru to continue proving essential off the bench and delivering the goods for a Biancocelesti side that is enjoying an impressive transition under Marco Baroni.
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