Onuachu: Tekke demands more before cup final after Super Eagles star wins Turkish Golden Boot

Paul Onuachu may have ended the Turkish Super Lig season without a goal in his final seven matches, but Trabzonspor coach Fatih Tekke believes the Nigerian striker has already written his name into the club’s history books, Afrik-Foot reports.

Trabzonspor closed their 2025/2026 league campaign with a disappointing 3-0 defeat at home to Gençlerbirliği, a result that damaged the mood around the Black Sea club after a long battle for European qualification places. The team looked vulnerable throughout the contest, struggled to keep possession, and were repeatedly punished on counter-attacks as Gençlerbirliği scored three unanswered goals.

Despite the heavy defeat, the spotlight remained on Onuachu. The Super Eagles forward failed to end his goal drought during the match, but his 22 league goals were still enough to earn him a share of the Turkish Super Lig Golden Boot alongside Eldor Shomurodov of İstanbul Başakşehir. Anderson Talisca finished third in the scoring charts with 19 goals for Fenerbahçe.

Onuachu’s achievement carried even greater importance because he became only the sixth player – and the first Nigerian – in Trabzonspor’s history to finish a league season as the division’s top scorer. Across all competitions, the Nigerian finished with 24 goals, making him the club’s standout performer of the campaign.

Tekke admitted the striker was frustrated by his recent drought, but insisted his confidence remained intact, especially as the club will need him in the Turkish Cup final on Friday.

“If you want to score, you first need to keep possession of the ball,” Tekke said as per Haberglobal. “The player’s (Onuachu’s) morale is good. If he had scored, he would have been the top scorer all by himself, but he will go down in Trabzonspor history as the top scorer.

” don’t think his morale is low. We expect goals from him in the final match as well. Savic may join us tomorrow. Folcarelli also wants to return. Muçi and Zubkov are also returning. It is very important for us to make the best use of our current squad in the cup match.”

Onuachu eyes Cup redemption vs Konyaspor

Trabzonspor now have an immediate chance to recover from their painful league finale when they face Konyaspor in the 2026 Turkish Cup final on Friday at the Corendon Airlines Park Antalya Stadium.

The final represents a huge opportunity for the club to end a six-year wait for major domestic silverware and secure the 10th Turkish Cup title in Trabzonspor history. It could also complete a memorable personal double for Onuachu after his Golden Boot success.

Trabzonspor reached the final dramatically after beating Gençlerbirliği 2-1 in the semi-finals on May 13. An own goal brought them level before Ernest Muçi scored a dramatic winner in stoppage time to send the club into its 18th Turkish Cup final. Earlier in the competition, goalkeeper André Onana produced a brilliant display against Samsunspor, saving three penalties in the quarter-finals.

After rotating parts of his squad during the league run-in, Tekke is expected to restore several important players for the final, including Muçi and Oleksandr Zubkov. The coach now hopes a refreshed Onuachu can rediscover the sharp finishing touch that made him the most feared striker in Turkey this season.