Josh Maja


Joshua Erowoli Maja is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for French club Bordeaux and the Nigeria national team.
He played youth football with Crystal Palace, Fulham and Manchester City and began his professional career with Sunderland, making 49 appearances and scoring 17 goals. In January 2019, he joined Bordeaux. Born in England, Maja made his international debut for Nigeria in September 2019.

Club career

Early career

Born in the London Borough of Lewisham to Nigerian parents, Maja grew up in Pimlico, London. As a youngster he played for the youth teams of Crystal Palace and Fulham, and despite being formally registered with Fulham he spent some time with Manchester City.

Sunderland

Maja was not offered a scholarship by Manchester City and in March 2015, Sunderland reached an agreement with Fulham for him to sign a two-year scholarship. In May 2016, he signed his first professional contract with the club, signing a three-year deal.
On 21 September 2016, Maja made his professional debut in a 2–1 victory at Queens Park Rangers in the third round of the EFL Cup, replacing Joel Asoro as a substitute for the final 21 minutes. He did not play again that season but did appear on the bench during their Premier League campaign, which ended in relegation.
Maja made his league debut on 16 December 2017 when he came on for James Vaughan at the Stadium of Light and five minutes later scored the only goal to defeat Fulham. Manager Chris Coleman said afterwards "I've been very impressed with Josh. He's different, he gives us a big injection of personality". Sunderland suffered a second consecutive relegation in the 2017–18 EFL Championship season, with Maja not adding another goal.
In the 2018–19 EFL League One season, Maja scored in all of Sunderland's first four games in August, earning him a nomination for Player of the Month. With his contract due to expire at the end of the season, he was offered a new deal but did not sign it.

Bordeaux

On 26 January 2019, Maja signed for French Ligue 1 club Bordeaux on a 4 and a half year contract. His transfer saga was featured as part of the Netflix series Sunderland 'Til I Die. He made his league debut on 17 February in a 2–1 home Derby de la Garonne win over Toulouse, starting and playing 67 minutes. On 20 April, he scored his first Ligue 1 goal in a 2–1 loss at Nîmes Olympique, but suffered a first-half left-knee injury that ended his season after seven games.
On 3 December 2019, again against Nîmes, Maja scored his first professional hat-trick and also provided an assist in a 6–0 win.

International career

In August 2019 the Nigeria national team manager Gernot Rohr said he wanted Maja to represent the nation. He made his international debut on 10 September in a 2–2 friendly against Ukraine, replacing Victor Osimhen in added time.

Career statistics

Club

International