Obinna Nwaneri // (born 19 March 1982)[1] is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as centre-back or right-back position but could also play as a forward.[2][3][4]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 19 March 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Lagos, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back, right-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Julius Berger | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2002 | Julius Berger | 6 | (1) |
| 2003–2004 | Enyimba | ||
| 2004–2007 | Espérance | 43 | (3) |
| 2007–2010 | FC Sion | 71 | (2) |
| 2010–2011 | Kazma | ||
| 2012–2014 | Kelantan | 50 | (3) |
| 2015 | ATM | ||
| 2016 | Perlis | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| 2005–2010 | Nigeria | 34 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 January 2016 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 6 January 2016 | |||
His name, Obinna, means "Father's heart" in Igbo.[5] He is described as mobile central defender with pace, control and timing. A natural leader, which had earned him the captain armband in Enyimba and FC Sion respectively.
Nwaneri started his career with Nigerian side Julius Berger then with African Champions Enyimba, where he won the CAF Champions League and then signed with Swiss club FC Sion during the 2007 January transfer window, a club he later captained before leaving the following summer.
Career
edit- 2000: Broke into a talented Julius Berger side that had an amazing turnaround season, going from barely escaping relegation the season before, to annexing the Nigerian Pepsi League crown.
- 2001: Had a standout season with the 'Bridge Boys', proving to be one of the League's best defenders. Berger, unfortunately, failed to retain their League title and were knocked out of the African Champions Cup.
- 2002: Won the Nigerian Cup with Julius Berger, after defeating Yobe Stars 3–0 in the final.
- 2003: Moved to League Champions Enyimba, forming a dream partnership at the back with Romanus Orjinta. Had a standout season in an historic season for Enyimba, as they won the Nigerian League for the 3rd year running and became the first Nigerian club to win the continents' most prized club trophy – The African Champions Cup.
- 2004: Captained Enyimba as they successfully defended their African Champions League crown, by defeating Étoile du Sahel of Tunisia with a 5–3 penalty victory. Scored the vital fifth penalty that secured the win. However, this time around, Enyimba would not win Nigerian League. Agreed personal terms with South African side Orlando Pirates in July, but the deal fell through as the clubs could not agree on a fee.
- 2004–05: Moved to Tunisian powerhouse Espérance, in early 2005, where he has had an outstanding season.
- 2005–06: Selected for the Nigerian national football team for the 2006 African Cup of Nations tournament.
- 2006–07: Signed for Swiss Super League team FC Sion until June 2010.A team he captained until he left the following summer.
- 2008: Obinna score his first ever goal for Nigeria national football team at 45 minutes during 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round against South Africa national football team.
- 2010: After a proposed loan spell in the United Arab Emirati football club Al Dhafra did not fell through Obinna Joined Kuwaiti club Kazma.
- 2011: Kazma Obinna finished his contract with Kazma and has since been linked with a host of European clubs.
- 2012: After being a free agent for 3 months, Obinna joined the 2010 Malaysia Super League champions, Kelantan FA.[2][4][6] Obinna later won treble by winning Malaysian Super League, FA Cup and Malaysian Cup with Kelantan FA in his debut season.
- 2014: On 23 April, he was released by Kelantan FA
- 2015: After less than a year out the game he signs with ATM
- 2016: Signs with Perlis FA in Malaysian Premier League
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of 5 November 2013
| Club | Season | League | Other[a] | Cup | League Cup | Continental[b] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Kelantan | 2012 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 40 | 3 |
| 2013 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 41 | 6 | |
| 2014 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 50 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 21 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 81 | 9 | |
| Career total | - | - | - | ||||||||||
- ^ Including Malaysia Charity Shield
- ^ Including AFC Cup
Honours
editEnyimba
- Nigeria Premier League: Runners-up 2003–04
- African Champions League: 2003–04,2004-2005
FC Sion
Kazema SC
- Kuwaiti Emir Cup: 2010–11
- Kuwait Super Cup: Runners-up 2011
Kelantan
- Malaysia Super League: 2012
- Malaysia Cup: 2012
- Malaysia FA Cup: 2012, 2013
- Malaysia Charity Shield: Runners-up 2012, 2013
References
edit- ^ Date of Birth: 19 March 1982, passport: (D) A0892856
- ^ a b "Kelantan Ikat Obinna Sebagai Pemain Terbaharu" (in Malay). Bernama. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
- ^ "OBINNA IMPORT TERBARU KELANTAN". Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
- ^ a b "Obinna, Okucha Main Liga Super" (in Malay). 2 February 2012. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
- ^ Meaning of Obinna in Nigerian.name Retrieved 18 March 2018.
- ^ "Kelantan Ikat Obinna Sebagai Pemain Terbaharu" (in Malay). Bernama. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
External links
edit- Obinna Nwaneri profile at Trwfc.com
- Obinna Nwaneri at Soccerway
- Obinna Nwaneri at National-Football-Teams.com
- Obinna Nwaneri at Stadium Astro