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	10	(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 23:28, 27 November 2024 (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.

Moses started his career in the Championship with Crystal Palace. His great performances led to him joining Wigan Athletic, where he played his first Premier League game in 2010. After two years, he had improved so much that Chelsea, who were European champions, became interested. He signed with them in the summer of 2012.

Even though he scored ten goals in his first season with Chelsea, he spent the next few seasons on loan to other clubs. These included Liverpool, Stoke City, and West Ham United. Moses 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, like under-16 and under-17. However, he later chose to play for the senior Nigeria team. He made his debut for Nigeria in 2012 and played 38 games, scoring 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.

Club Career

Early Life and Start

Victor Moses was born in Kaduna, Nigeria. When he was 11, his parents tragically died in an event in Kaduna. Victor was playing football in the street at the time. A week later, friends helped him hide, and his relatives paid for him to travel to the UK to seek safety. He was placed with a foster family in South London.

He went to Stanley Technical High School. Football scouts noticed him playing for a local team called Cosmos 90 FC. Crystal Palace then invited him to join their academy.

Palace also suggested he attend Whitgift School in Croydon. There, he was coached by Colin Pates, a former star for Arsenal and Chelsea. Moses became well-known at age 14 after scoring 50 goals for Palace's under-14 team. He played for both Whitgift and Palace for three years, scoring over 100 goals. He also helped Whitgift win many school cups, including a National Cup. In that final, Moses scored all five goals!

Playing for Crystal Palace

Moses played his first game for the Crystal Palace senior 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 senior goal on 12 March 2008. This goal came in a 1–1 draw with West Bromwich Albion.

In the 2007–08 season, Moses played 16 times. Palace reached the Championship play-offs but lost to Bristol City. After the season, he signed a new contract. His manager, Neil Warnock, was very happy, saying Moses could become a top player.

Moses scored twice in 32 games during the 2008–09 season. 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 for £2.5 million. This happened after Crystal Palace had financial difficulties.

He played his first game for Wigan on 6 February 2010. He came on as a substitute in a 1–1 draw against Sunderland. On 20 March 2010, Moses came off the bench against Burnley and helped set up a winning goal for Hugo Rodallega. He scored his first goal for Wigan on 3 May 2010 against Hull City.

Moses had two injuries at the start of the 2010–11 season. It was hard for him to get back into the starting team because of more competition. He scored his first league goal of that season on 13 November 2010 in a 1–0 win against West Bromwich Albion.

After winger Charles N'Zogbia left, Moses became a regular starter for Wigan in the 2011–12 season. On 10 December 2011, he scored his first goal of the season against West Brom. It was his first goal since scoring against the same team the previous season.

Time at Chelsea

2012–13 Season: Joining the Blues

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

On 23 August 2012, Wigan accepted an offer from Chelsea for Moses. Chelsea had tried four times before. On 24 August, Chelsea announced that Moses had officially joined. Moses played his first game for Chelsea on 15 September. He came on as a substitute against Queens Park Rangers.

Moses started his first full game for Chelsea in a League Cup match against Wolverhampton Wanderers. He scored his first goal after 71 minutes in a big 6–0 win. Moses 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 in a 1–1 draw against Swansea City. Four days later, he scored his first Champions League goal for Chelsea against Shakhtar Donetsk. He came on as a substitute and headed in a corner kick in the last seconds to win the game 3–2. On 5 January 2013, Moses 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 home 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 away win at Basel on 25 April. He also scored in the home game against Basel, which Chelsea won 3–1. This win helped Chelsea reach the Europa League Final. Moses did not play in the final, but Chelsea won 2–1 against Benfica.

2013–14 Season: Loan to Liverpool

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. Moses found it hard to get playing time at Liverpool because Raheem Sterling was playing so well. He played 22 games, but only started nine of them.

2014–15 Season: Loan to Stoke City

On 16 August 2014, Moses went on loan to Stoke City for the 2014–15 season. He played his first Premier League game for Stoke on 30 August in a 1–0 away win against Manchester City. In Stoke's 1–0 win over Newcastle United, Moses set up the only goal and was named the best player.

On 19 October, in a 2–1 win against Swansea City, Moses won a penalty. Some people, including the Swansea manager, thought he had dived. Moses 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 the starting team against Leicester City, which 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.

Chelsea manager José Mourinho tried to bring Moses back to Chelsea during the season, but Moses chose to stay at Stoke. Moses got a hamstring injury on 11 April, which meant he missed the rest of the season.

2015–16 Season: Loan to West Ham United

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

After a good loan spell at Stoke, Moses returned to Chelsea. He played in all four pre-season games and scored once. On 2 August 2015, Moses played his first competitive game for Chelsea in a long time. He came on as a substitute against Arsenal in the Community Shield, which Chelsea lost 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 in a 2–0 home win against Newcastle United and was named the best player. In his second game, on 19 September, he scored his only goal for West Ham in a 2–1 away win against Manchester City. On 5 December, Moses got a hamstring injury that kept him out until February.

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

2016–17 Season: Premier League Champion

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

New Chelsea manager Antonio Conte was impressed by Moses during pre-season, and he was included in the main team. On 15 August 2016, Moses played his first league game for Chelsea in three years. He came off the bench in a 2–1 win against West Ham United. On 23 August, Moses started his first game and scored his first goal since returning, in the EFL Cup against Bristol Rovers in a 3–2 victory.

After two league defeats, Conte changed the team's formation to a 3–4–3. Moses played as a right-sided wing-back in the next game 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 season, making 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 after receiving two yellow cards for a foul and then for diving. Chelsea lost the match 2–1.

2017–18 Season

Moses scored the first goal in the 2017 FA Community Shield. However, Chelsea lost the match to rivals Arsenal on penalties.

2018–19 Season: Loan to Fenerbahçe

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

2019–20 Season: Loan to Inter Milan

The loan deal with Fenerbahçe ended early. On 23 January 2020, Moses signed a six-month loan deal with Inter Milan, with an option for them to buy him later. He was one of three former Premier League players to join Inter Milan in that January transfer window. He played his first game for Inter on 29 January, coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 home win against Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia. He made his league debut a few days later, starting in a 2–0 win at Udinese.

2020–21 Season: Loan to Spartak Moscow

On 15 October 2020, Moses joined Russian Premier League club Spartak Moscow on a season-long loan. They also had an option to buy him. Two days later, on 17 October, he made his debut as a substitute in a 3–2 away win against Khimki. On 24 October, he started his first game and scored his first goal for Spartak in a 3–1 away win against Krasnodar. On 16 May 2021, he scored a late goal in the last game of the 2020–21 Russian Premier League season against FC Akhmat Grozny. This goal made the score 2–2 and helped Spartak finish second, which meant they qualified for the Champions League.

Spartak Moscow

On 2 July 2021, Chelsea confirmed that Moses had permanently moved to Spartak Moscow. This ended his nine-year time 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. They won 2–1 against Dynamo Moscow in the Old Russian Derby final.

On 23 July 2023, Moses scored the first goal of Spartak's season in the 45th minute. The home match against FC Orenburg ended 3–2.

On 19 May 2024, it was announced that Moses would leave Spartak when his contract ended.

Luton Town

On 10 September 2024, Luton Town confirmed that Moses had signed for them.

He played his first game for Luton on 21 September. He came on as a substitute in the 83rd minute in a 2–1 home win against Sheffield Wednesday.

On 27 September, Moses scored his first goal for Luton Town. This was in a 1–3 away loss to Plymouth Argyle.

International Career

Playing for England's Youth Teams

Under-16 and Under-17 Levels

Even though Victor Moses was born in Nigeria, he first chose to play for England. 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 under-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 over 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 again England's top scorer, scoring three goals in the group games. However, he got an injury in the win against Brazil and could not play for the rest of the tournament. His teammates reached the quarter-finals.

Under-19s

After the U-17 World Cup, Moses moved up to the under-19 team. He went with the U-19s to the 2008 UEFA European U-19 Championship in the Czech Republic. He played two matches and made one assist, but England did not get out of their group.

Under-21s

Moses was promoted to the under-21 squad at the start of the 2010–11 season. He played his first game for them against Uzbekistan in a 2–0 win.

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 friendly 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 FIFA to change his national team had not been approved in time.

On 1 November 2011, FIFA announced that Moses was cleared to play for Nigeria. Moses was called up for 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. Nigeria went on to win the tournament, their third time winning this 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, which they lost 2–0.

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

When Gernot Rohr became Nigeria's head 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 final minutes. This meant Argentina went through, and Nigeria was out of the tournament. After the World Cup, 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 2012) and a daughter named Nyah (born 2015).

Career Statistics

Club

International

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

Honours

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

Orders

• Member of the Order of the Niger

See also

In Spanish: Victor Moses para niños