Victor Moses facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Victor Moses
MON

Moses playing for Spartak Moscow in 2021
Personal information
Full name	Victor Moses
Date of birth	(1990-12-12) 12 December 1990 (age 34)
Place of birth	Kaduna, Nigeria
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Winger Wing-back
Team information
Current team	Luton Town
Number	7
Youth career
2002–2007	Crystal Palace
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2007–2010	Crystal Palace	58	(11)
2010–2012	Wigan Athletic	74	(8)
2012–2021	Chelsea	87	(7)
2013–2014	→ Liverpool (loan)	19	(1)
2014–2015	→ Stoke City (loan)	19	(3)
2015–2016	→ West Ham United (loan)	21	(1)
2019–2020	→ Fenerbahçe (loan)	20	(5)
2020	→ Inter Milan (loan)	12	(0)
2020–2021	→ Spartak Moscow (loan)	19	(4)
2021–2024	Spartak Moscow	51	(5)
2024–	Luton Town	18	(1)
International career
2005	England U16	1	(0)
2006–2007	England U17	15	(9)
2008–2009	England U19	12	(2)
2010	England U21	1	(0)
2012–2018	Nigeria	38	(12)
Medal record Representing  Nigeria Men's football Africa Cup of Nations Winner 2013 South Africa
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:10, 6 February 2025 (UTC)

Victor Moses (born 12 December 1990) is a professional footballer from Nigeria. He plays as a winger for the English club Luton Town. Sometimes, he also plays as a wing-back.

Victor started his career with Crystal Palace in the Championship. His great playing caught the attention of Wigan Athletic, where he first played in the Premier League in 2010. After two years, he moved to Chelsea, a big European club, in 2012.

Even though he scored ten goals in his first season with Chelsea, he spent the next few seasons playing for other teams on loan. These teams included Liverpool, Stoke City, and West Ham United. He returned to Chelsea for the 2016–17 season. He played 34 games and helped Chelsea win the Premier League title. Later, he had more loan spells with Fenerbahçe, Inter Milan, and Spartak Moscow.

Victor Moses was born in Nigeria. He played for England's youth teams at different age levels (U16, U17, U19, and U21). However, he decided to play for his home country, Nigeria, as a senior player. He joined the Nigerian national team in 2012. He played 38 games and scored 12 goals before he stopped playing international matches in 2018. He was part of the Nigerian team that won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. He also played in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Playing for Clubs

Early Life and Start in Football

Victor Moses was born in Kaduna, Nigeria. His father was a Christian pastor. When Victor was 11, his parents sadly passed away during a difficult time in their city. Victor was playing football outside at the time. A week later, his relatives helped him travel to the UK to find safety. He lived with a foster family in South London.

He went to Stanley Technical High School, which is now called Harris Academy. Football scouts noticed him playing for a local team called Cosmos 90 FC. Crystal Palace invited him to join their academy.

Crystal Palace suggested he attend Whitgift School, where a former professional player, Colin Pates, coached the school team. Victor became well-known at age 14 after scoring 50 goals for Palace's under-14 team. He played for both Whitgift and Crystal Palace for three years. During this time, he scored over 100 goals and helped Whitgift win many school cups.

Time at Crystal Palace

Victor Moses played his first game for Crystal Palace's main team when he was 16. This was on 6 November 2007, in a 1–1 draw against Cardiff City. He continued to play regularly and scored his first goal on 12 March 2008.

In the 2007–08 season, Moses played 16 games. Crystal Palace reached the play-offs but lost to Bristol City. After the season, he signed a new contract. His manager, Neil Warnock, was very happy, saying Victor could achieve great things.

In the 2008–09 season, Moses scored twice in 32 games. Crystal Palace finished 15th that year. In 2009–10, Moses scored six goals in eight matches. However, Crystal Palace faced big money problems and went into administration in January 2010.

Moving to Wigan Athletic

On the last day of January 2010, Victor Moses moved to Premier League team Wigan Athletic. The transfer cost £2.5 million because Crystal Palace had financial issues.

He played his first game for Wigan on 6 February 2010, as a substitute against Sunderland. The game ended in a 1–1 draw. On 20 March 2010, he helped set up a winning goal for Wigan against Burnley. He scored his first goal for Wigan on 3 May 2010 against Hull City.

Victor got two injuries at the start of the 2010–11 season. It was hard for him to get back into the main team because there was more competition. He scored his first league goal of that season on 13 November 2010 against West Bromwich Albion.

After another winger left the team, Moses became a regular player for Wigan in the 2011–12 season. On 10 December 2011, he scored his first goal of the season against West Brom.

Joining Chelsea

First Season at Chelsea (2012–13)

Moses and Fábio Santos of Corinthians in the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup Final

On 23 August 2012, Wigan agreed to sell Victor Moses to Chelsea. Chelsea had tried four times before to buy him. On 24 August, Chelsea announced that the transfer was complete. Moses played his first game for Chelsea on 15 September, coming on as a substitute against Queens Park Rangers.

Victor made his first full start for Chelsea in a League Cup game against Wolverhampton Wanderers. He scored his first goal after 71 minutes in a big 6–0 win for Chelsea. He also started his first Champions League game against Nordsjælland. On 31 October, he was named the best player in a League Cup game against Manchester United, which Chelsea won 5–4.

On 3 November 2012, Moses scored his first Premier League goal for Chelsea against Swansea City. Four days later, he scored his first Champions League goal against Shakhtar Donetsk. He came on as a substitute and scored a header in the last seconds to win the game 3–2. On 5 January 2013, he scored in the FA Cup against Southampton, helping Chelsea win 5–1.

Moses scored his first Europa League goal for Chelsea in a 3–1 win against Rubin Kazan. He scored again in the return game a week later. He continued his good form in the competition, scoring in a 2–1 win against Basel on 25 April. He also scored in the return match against Basel, helping Chelsea reach the Europa League Final. Chelsea won the final 2–1 against Benfica, even though Moses did not play in that match.

Loan to Liverpool (2013–14)

On 2 September 2013, Moses joined Liverpool on a loan for the season. He scored in his first game on 16 September against Swansea City in a 2–2 draw.

On 25 January 2014, he scored the first goal in a 2–0 win against AFC Bournemouth in the FA Cup. Victor found it hard to get many chances to play at Liverpool. He played 22 games, but only started nine of them.

Loan to Stoke City (2014–15)

On 16 August 2014, Moses joined Stoke City on loan for the 2014–15 season. He played his first Premier League game for Stoke on 30 August against Manchester City, which Stoke won 1–0. In Stoke's 1–0 win over Newcastle United, Moses helped set up the only goal. He was named the best player of the match.

On 19 October, in a 2–1 win against Swansea City, Moses won a penalty. He scored his first goal for Stoke on 1 November in a 2–2 draw with West Ham United. He got a thigh injury on 22 November, which kept him out for eight weeks. On 17 January 2015, Moses returned to play against Leicester City, and Stoke won 1–0. On 21 February, Moses scored a penalty in the 90th minute to give Stoke a 2–1 win over Aston Villa. He also scored in a 2–0 win over Everton on 4 March.

Victor got a hamstring injury on 11 April, which meant he could not play for the rest of the season.

Loan to West Ham United (2015–16)

Moses on the ball during his loan spell with West Ham United, playing against Manchester City in 2016

After a good loan season with Stoke, Moses went back to Chelsea. He played in all four pre-season games and scored one goal. On 2 August 2015, he played his first official game back for Chelsea against Arsenal in the Community Shield. Chelsea lost that match 1–0.

On 1 September 2015, Moses joined West Ham United on a season-long loan. Before this, he signed a new four-year contract with Chelsea. Moses played his first game for West Ham on 14 September against Newcastle United and was named Man of the Match. In his second game, on 19 September, he scored his only goal for West Ham in a 2–1 win against Manchester City. On 5 December, he got a hamstring injury that kept him out until February.

West Ham had the option to buy him permanently, but they decided not to.

Back to Chelsea (2016–18)

Moses (centre) with national teammate Wilfred Ndidi (right) playing for Chelsea against champions Leicester City, 2017

Victor impressed the new manager, Antonio Conte, during pre-season. On 15 August 2016, Moses played his first league game for Chelsea in three years. He came on as a substitute against West Ham United in a 2–1 win. On 23 August, he started his first game and scored his first goal since returning, in the EFL Cup against Bristol Rovers. Chelsea won 3–2.

After two league defeats, Conte changed the team's formation. Moses started playing as a right-sided wing-back against Hull City. His performance helped Chelsea win 2–0 and earned him the Man of the Match award. On 15 October 2016, Moses scored his second league goal of the season against Leicester City in a 3–0 home win. On 26 November 2016, Moses scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory against Tottenham Hotspur and was again named Man of the Match.

Moses played 40 games for Chelsea in the 2016–17 season, scoring four goals. Chelsea won the Premier League title that year. This made Moses the Nigerian player with the most Premier League appearances for a title-winning team.

In the 2017 FA Cup Final against Arsenal, Moses was sent off. He was given a second yellow card for a foul, which meant he had to leave the field. Chelsea lost the match 2–1. Moses scored the first goal in the 2017 FA Community Shield, but Chelsea lost to Arsenal on penalties.

Loan to Fenerbahçe (2018–19)

In January 2019, Moses signed an eighteen-month loan deal with the Turkish club Fenerbahçe. On 1 February 2019, he scored his first league goal for Fenerbahçe in a 2–0 win against Göztepe.

Loan to Inter Milan (2019–20)

The loan deal with Fenerbahçe ended early. On 23 January 2020, Moses signed a six-month loan deal with Inter Milan. He was one of three former Premier League players to join Inter Milan that January. He played his first game for Inter on 29 January in a cup match against Fiorentina. He made his league debut a few days later, on 2 February, in a 2–0 win against Udinese.

Playing for Spartak Moscow

On 15 October 2020, Moses joined the Russian club Spartak Moscow on a season-long loan. Two days later, he played his first game for them. On 24 October, he started his first game and scored his first goal for Spartak in a 3–1 win against Krasnodar. On 16 May 2021, he scored a late goal in the last game of the season, which helped Spartak finish second and qualify for the Champions League.

On 2 July 2021, Chelsea confirmed that Moses had moved permanently to Spartak Moscow. This ended his nine years with Chelsea. Spartak announced that he signed a two-year contract. On 10 February 2022, Moses extended his contract with Spartak until 2024. Moses won the 2021-22 Russian Cup with his club on 29 May, beating Dynamo Moscow 2–1.

On 23 July 2023, Moses scored the first goal of Spartak's season in a 3–2 home win against FC Orenburg. On 19 May 2024, it was announced that Moses would leave Spartak when his contract ended.

Joining Luton Town

On 10 September 2024, Luton Town announced that Victor Moses had joined their team. He played his first game for Luton on 21 September, coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 home win against Sheffield Wednesday. Six days later, Moses scored his first goal for Luton Town in a 1–3 loss to Plymouth Argyle.

On 9 May 2025, the club announced that Moses would leave in June when his contract expires.

International Career

Playing for England Youth Teams

Victor Moses was born in Nigeria but first chose to play for England, his adopted home. He played for the under-16 team and won the Victory Shield in 2005. He also played for the under-17 team.

He went with the U-17 squad to the 2007 UEFA European U-17 Championship in Belgium. He scored three goals, including the only goal in the semi-final win against France. This helped England reach the final, where they lost to Spain. Moses was the top scorer in the competition and won the Golden Boot award.

That same summer, the team went to South Korea for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Moses was England's top scorer again, with three goals in the group games. However, he got injured and could not play for the rest of the tournament. His teammates reached the quarter-finals.

After that, Moses was moved up to the under-19 team. He played two matches in the 2008 UEFA European U-19 Championship in the Czech Republic.

Playing for Nigeria

Moses playing for Nigeria against Iran at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Victor Moses was chosen to play for Nigeria in February 2011, but the game was cancelled. He then accepted a call-up in March 2011 for Nigeria's games against Ethiopia and Kenya. However, he could not play because his request to change nationalities with FIFA was not approved in time. On 1 November 2011, FIFA finally allowed Moses to play for Nigeria.

Moses was part of Nigeria's team for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. He scored two penalties in their final group game against Ethiopia, which Nigeria needed to win to move forward. Nigeria went on to win the tournament, their third title. Moses started in the final and played the whole game.

Moses was chosen for Nigeria's team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He started in their first group match and the Round of 16 match against France, where Nigeria lost 2–0.

Moses taking a free kick for Nigeria during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

When Gernot Rohr became Nigeria's coach in August 2016, Moses played regularly in the FIFA 2018 qualifying matches. Moses scored two goals for Nigeria in a qualifying match against Algeria in November 2016, helping them win 3–1.

In May 2018, he was named in Nigeria's team for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He scored an important goal against Argentina, but his team lost the game in the last minutes and was eliminated. After the tournament, on 15 August, Moses announced that he was retiring from playing international football for Nigeria.

Personal Life

Victor Moses grew up supporting Arsenal. He has a son named Brentley, born in 2012, and a daughter named Nyah, born in 2015.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances

International Appearances

Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Moses goal.

List of international goals scored by Victor Moses

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	13 October 2012	U. J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar, Nigeria	Liberia	3–0	6–1	2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2				6–1
3	29 January 2013	Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg, South Africa	Ethiopia	1–0	2–0	2013 Africa Cup of Nations
4				2–0
5	7 September 2013	U.J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar, Nigeria	Malawi	2–0	2–0	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
6	16 November 2013	U.J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar, Nigeria	Ethiopia	1–0	2–0	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
7	7 June 2014	EverBank Field, Jacksonville, United States	United States	1–2	1–2	Friendly
8	12 November 2016	Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Nigeria	Algeria	1–0	3–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
9				3–1
10	1 September 2017	Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Nigeria	Cameroon	3–0	4–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
11	23 March 2018	Stadion Miejski, Wrocław, Poland	Poland	1–0	1–0	Friendly
12	26 June 2018	Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia	Argentina	1–1	1–2	2018 FIFA World Cup

Awards and Achievements

Chelsea

• Premier League: 2016–17
• FA Cup: 2017–18; runner-up: 2016–17
• UEFA Europa League: 2012–13, 2018–19

Inter Milan

• UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2019–20

Spartak Moscow

• Russian Cup: 2021–22

Nigeria

• Africa Cup of Nations: 2013

Individual Awards

• PFA Fans' Premier League Player of the Month: November 2016
• Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2013
• Africa Cup of Nations Fair Player of the Tournament: 2013
• UEFA European Under-17 Championship Top Scorer: 2007
• EFL Young Player of the Month: December 2009

Special Recognition

• Member of the Order of the Niger

See also

In Spanish: Victor Moses para niños