Gift Orban has completely revived his career after a difficult spell at Olympique Lyonnais. The Nigerian striker arrived at Lyon in January 2024 for €14 million after impressive spells with Stabæk and Gent, but he struggled to reproduce that form in France.
He scored just five goals in 21 appearances and quickly fell behind Alexandre Lacazette and Georges Mikautadze in the attacking hierarchy. A move to Hoffenheim offered him a chance to rebuild his confidence, but despite four goals in 13 matches, the German club left him out of its plans for the 2025/26 season.
Orban then found his rhythm at Hellas Verona, where he scored seven goals and provided three assists in 29 matches. His performances earned him another opportunity in Turkey, where Hoffenheim sent him on loan to Amedspor with an option to buy. The newly promoted club has made an excellent start to the Süper Lig season, sitting third after five matchdays with 10 points, and Orban has quickly become one of its key players. After going scoreless in his first two matches, he scored against Trabzonspor, netted twice against Kasımpaşa and then produced a hat-trick against İstanbul Başakşehir.
That latest performance has taken Orban to six league goals, level with Victor Osimhen at the top of the scoring charts. The hat-trick also revived memories of his remarkable 2023 performance against Başakşehir, when he scored three times in just two minutes and 50 seconds. Now enjoying a leading role at Amedspor, the 24-year-old has left his Lyon struggles behind and is determined to keep pushing forward. “I came to Amedspor to fight,” Orban said after the 5-0 victory. “With the support of our fans, we want to fight and beat Beşiktaş.”
