Gift Orban
Gift Emmanuel Orban (born 17 July 2002) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Belgian club Gent. He is known for his speed, strength and finishing inside the box. Career

Stabæk
In November 2021, he was scouted by Stabæk's Torgeir Bjarmann and Thomas Finstad in Nigeria during a showcase tournament. He trained with Stabæk during the winter of 2021/2022 before returning after his visa expired. Returning to Norway, he signed for Stabæk in late May 2022. The transfer from Nigerian club Bison was a loan with an option to buy. He scored his first goals in cup matches against semi-professional teams Notodden and Gjøvik-Lyn (twice). After this he became a starting player for Stabæk. His goal against SK Brann was compared to Alanzinho's time at Stabæk. VG also called him a "striker jewel". When Stabæk sold Oliver Valaker Edvardsen in July, the club announced they would spend the money on Orban's buyout option. The contract tying Orban to Stabæk until the end of 2026 was announced on 3 August. He became the top scorer in the 2022 Norwegian First Division with 16 goals, alongside Bård Finne. Helping Stabæk win promotion to 2023 Eliteserien, Orban was also named Young Player of the Year in the First Division. Gent
On 31 January 2023, Orban joined Belgian Pro League side Gent on a permanent deal. On 11 February, Orban scored two goals on his Pro League debut in a 3–3 draw with Westerlo. On 12 March, Orban managed to score four goals in a 6–2 away win over Zulte Waregem, which made him the first player of Gent to do so in the 21st century. All the goals came in the second-half. In his very next game on 15 March, he scored a first-half hat-trick in 4–1 away win over İstanbul Başakşehir in the UEFA Europa Conference League round 16. The hat-trick was scored within three minutes and 25 seconds, setting a new record for the fastest hat-trick in UEFA club competitions, breaking the previous record of six minutes and 12 seconds held by Mohammed Salah in the Champions League. In the 2023–24 Conference League campaign of KAA Gent, Orban took off where he left off the previous season by scoring his next European hat-trick, this time against Pogon Szczecin in the third qualification round of the Conference League in a 5-0 win for Gent. Personal life
Born in Benue State, Nigeria, Orban is of Togolese descent through his mother. Career statistics

Honours
Individual
Norwegian First Division top scorer: 2022
Norwegian First Division Young Player of the Year: 2022

References

External links

Profile at Norwegian FA

2002 births
Living people
Nigerian men's footballers
Nigerian people of Togolese descent
Men's association football forwards
Stabæk Fotball players
K.A.A. Gent players
Norwegian First Division players
Nigerian expatriate men's footballers
Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Togo
Expatriate men's footballers in Norway
Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Norway
Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium
Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium
Norwegian Third Division players
Belgian Pro League players