Friday Etim: 4 things to know about the red-hot Midtjylland striker on Chelle’s radar

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle is closing in on his squad announcement for Nigeria’s AFCON 2027 qualifiers, and one uncapped Nigerian striker who is looking to force his way into the conversation is FC Midtjylland’s Friday Etim, Afrik-Foot reports.

The 24-year-old scored FC Midtjylland’s 72nd-minute equaliser in Monday’s 2-2 Danish Superliga draw against FC Nordsjælland, extending an impressive current run that has produced three goals and two assists in his last six league appearances.

That form, combined with Victor Osimhen’s groin injury sustained at Galatasaray that will rule him out of the September window, has moved Etim from anonymous fringe player to a genuinely realistic call-up option.

Four things to know about Friday Etim

1. He came through the DN10 Football Academy

Friday Ubi Etim was born on 21 May 2002 in Lagos and worked his way through the DN10 Football Academy setup before earning his first professional opportunity at Dominion Hotspurs in 2021.

The right-footed forward stands at 1.86m (6ft 1in), operates primarily as a central striker and has the physical profile to lead an attacking line despite not carrying the target-man frame that defined Osimhen and Paul Onuachu’s game.

He wears the number 90 shirt at Midtjylland and is a mobile, direct-running forward rather than a hold-up specialist. His preferred style is to make runs into the channels and finish first-time chances in the box, a profile that lends itself to Chelle’s 4-3-1-2 system as an alternative to the target-man archetype that Osimhen and Onuachu are.

2. His recent form is his hottest streak since arriving in Denmark

The specific numbers underlying Etim’s recent Super Eagles buzz add a creative dimension to what had previously been an inconsistent Danish league career.

Before this season, his numbers weren’t elite, but he seems to be piquing at the right time and garnering interest from several top clubs before making a move.

Midtjylland are particularly known for platforming Nigerian players, having done so with Frank Onyeka, Raphael Onyedika and Paul Onuachu.

3. A Portugal-to-Denmark career arc changed everything

Etim’s route to the Danish top flight ran through Portugal. He signed for Primeira Liga side Vizela U23’s in September 2021, was named top scorer of the 2021-22 Liga Revelação season, before making his professional debut in a 3-1 Taça de Portugal loss to Porto in January 2022.

His breakthrough move came in June 2023 when Portuguese second-tier side CD Mafra signed him for €1 million.

Across two seasons at Mafra, Etim produced seven goals in 34 appearances, doing enough to convince Danish champions FC Midtjylland to bring him to Central Jutland in June 2025 on a permanent transfer.

A first Midtjylland season disrupted by playing-time issues led to a January 2026 loan to Fredericia, where he scored five goals in 14 games to earn his current recall to the parent club.

4. He’s never played for Nigeria at any level

The final and most important thing for Nigerian supporters to know is that Etim remains uncapped for Nigeria, from the youth teams to the senior team.

His name has not featured in any of the friendly-tournament squads Chelle has assembled through 2025 and 2026, including the Unity Cup and the summer friendlies against Poland and Portugal.

The window for that cap could not be more open. Chelle’s forward pool for the September window is already thin with Osimhen out, and the head coach has hinted he would invite new faces for this window.

Etim’s Danish Superliga form would be hard to pass on, but then again, AFCON 2027 qualifiers are not the time to experiment on the pitch, especially with other big names like Arokodare and Kelechi Iheanacho fully fit and scoring goals.