Ethan Nwaneri joins Balotelli and Drogba with Marseille debut goal after winter move | OneFootball

Ethan Nwaneri scored on his Marseille debut in a 3-1 win over Lens on Saturday, becoming the latest January signing to find the net in his first appearance for the club.

The 18-year-old joined OM on loan from Arsenal during the winter transfer window and opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a curled left-footed finish after cutting inside from the right. It was a composed strike that gave Marseille early control of the match. He earned a seven rating both in Get French Football News‘ and L’Équipe’s player ratings following his debut last night.

By scoring on debut, Nwaneri joins a short list of winter recruits to achieve the feat for Marseille. L’Équipe say that Mario Balotelli previously did so in January 2019, netting late against Lille in his first appearance for the club. Arkadiusz Milik, although scoring on his second outing in February 2021, went on to enjoy a productive half-season, finishing with nine goals in 15 Ligue 1 matches.

More broadly in Ligue 1, debut goals following January moves have produced mixed outcomes. Didier Drogba scored on his Guingamp debut in January 2002 after joining from Le Mans, a campaign that later earned him a move to Marseille. More recently, Mohamed Bamba scored on debut for Lorient in January 2024 before registering eight goals across the second half of the season.GFFN | George Boxall