Blessing Eleke has completed a move to Maltese side Hamrun Spartans, ending his spell without a club and adding a high-profile centre-forward to a squad competing in the Premier League Closing Round. The 29-year-old Nigeria international joins on a free transfer after leaving Hungarian outfit Kazincbarcikai SC, with his contract at Hamrun Spartans running from 2026-02-04 to 2027-06-30.
The deal comes with no transfer fee involved, despite Eleke carrying a current market value of €250k. His arrival gives Hamrun Spartans a physically imposing option through the middle, with the 1.90 m striker expected to slot directly into the attack as the Maltese club look to strengthen their title and European qualification ambitions in the closing phase of the season.
Eleke’s signing continues a well-travelled career that has taken him far from his birthplace of Aba, Nigeria. He first moved to Europe from Flying Sports Academy in Nigeria to join ND Gorica in Slovenia, before stepping up to NK Olimpija Ljubljana, where his value rose sharply and he established himself as a prolific forward. A subsequent transfer to FC Luzern in Switzerland marked the peak of his market value at €4 million, underlining the potential that once made him one of the most highly regarded forwards in the Swiss Super League.
From Luzern, Eleke moved to Beerschot VA in Belgium, then spent time on loan and permanently with Genclerbirligi Ankara in Türkiye. Later switches took him to Japan with Kashima Antlers, on to Istiqlol Dushanbe in Tajikistan, and more recently to Albania’s FK Partizani and Hungary’s Kazincbarcikai SC. The latest chapter in Malta adds yet another country and league to a cosmopolitan CV that has seen him adapt to multiple football cultures and tactical systems.
For Hamrun Spartans, the free signing of a forward with such breadth of experience represents a calculated move: they acquire a seasoned centre-forward who has featured in leagues as varied as the Swiss Super League, J1 League, and top flights in Eastern Europe and Asia, without paying a fee. For Eleke, it is a chance to re-establish himself as a key attacking figure in a European league and potentially secure longer-term stability after several short stints and spells without a club.
As a right-footed, traditional centre-forward, he will be expected to provide a focal point, hold up play, and contribute goals as Hamrun Spartans navigate the demands of the Premier League Closing Round. His international club journey suggests he can quickly acclimatise to new surroundings, an attribute that could prove crucial given the immediate competitive context he steps into.
Nigerian followers of his career will note that Eleke continues to ply his trade abroad rather than in his home country, extending a long-standing pattern of representing clubs outside Nigeria. With his contract now in place through to 2027-06-30, the coming seasons in Malta will be pivotal in determining whether he can lift his market value again and recapture the form that once made him a multi-million-euro asset on the European market.
