Peter Odemwingie

At 42 years old, Peter Odemwingie has this physical status:

Peter Osaze Odemwingie (born 15 July 1981) is a retired Nigerian professional footballer who played as both a forward and winger. Odemwingie grew up in Uzbekistan and Russia, and he started his career with Bendel Insurance in the Nigeria Premier League.

He then moved to European football with Belgian side La Louvière, where he spent three seasons winning the Belgian Cup before moving to Lille, France.

Odemwingie scored 26 goals for Lille and was also playing in the UEFA Champions League with the team, which led to Lokomotiv Moscow's payment of £10 million for his services in July 2007.

In three and a half years for Lokomotiv, he scored 23 times before leaving for England side West Bromwich Albion in August 2010.

He scored 30 Premier League goals for the Baggies, earning him three Premier League Player of the Month awards.

He was subsequently sold to Cardiff City in August 2013 for a £2.5 million fee after a failed move to Queens Park Rangers.

He spent six months at Cardiff before joining Stoke City in a player swap with Kenwyne Jones in January 2014. Odemwingie made his Nigerian national team debut in a friendly against Kenya in May 2002 and has represented the country more than 60 times, including two World Cups and four Africa Cup of Nations, as well as gold at the 2008 Olympics.

Personal life

Odemwingie was born in Nigeria to a Nigerian father and a Russian Tatar mother. "God chooses (for you)" Osaze, his middle name, means. After two years of dating, Odemwingie married Sarah Fallon, his fiancée, on May 26, 2012 at a Northampton church.

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Club career

Odemwingie was born in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union, to a Nigerian father (Peter Odemwingie Sr.) and a Russian mother (Raisa), both of whom were medical students. When he was two years old, he and his family moved to Nigeria before completing his secondary education in Russia. He competed in youth teams of KAMAZ and CSKA Moscow while living in Russia. He returned to Nigeria at the age of 17. After playing for a short time with amateur AS Racines Lagos, he became a professional with Nigeria's Bendel Insurance, where he scored 19 goals in 53 league appearances from 2000 to 2002.

Before signing for La Louvigne in 2002, Odemwingie had a fruitless time with Anderlecht and made his name by helping the team win the Belgian Cup in his first season. La Louvière earned a spot in the UEFA Cup, where they met Portuguese side Benfica and scored in a 1–1 draw. In August 2004, he had a trial with Blackburn Rovers.

He was a starter in Lille's first team for nine goals in 44 appearances, attracting their interest in Ligue 1's second season. The Nigerian player, who is best known for his stamina and speed, was being monitored by a number of prestigious European clubs. Odemwingie said he wanted to stay in Lille and help them compete in the league next season, as well as one against A.C. Milan at the San Siro, which all beat Lille in the UEFA Champions League knockout stages.

He joined Lokomotiv Moscow for a reported fee of US$14 million on a four-year deal on July 16, 2007. Odemwingie, the offensive's driving force and one of the team's most important players, became the driving force of the game in three seasons for Lokomotiv. Odemwingie scored 21 goals in the Russian Premier League during his time at Lokomotiv Stadium from 75 games.

Odemwingie, a ten-year player for West Bromwich Albion, has signed for an undisclosed fee on a two-year contract, with the possibility of a third year in the club's favour. On his first day in Premier League history, he scored the 81st-minute winning goal on his first appearance on his Premier League debut, a 1–0 victory over Sunderland. Photographs from Lokomotiv Moscow supporters celebrating the selling of Odemwingie through the use of racist banners directed at the player just short of signing for West Bromwich Albion. One banner featured a banana and read "Thanks West Brom." The banner read 'Thanks Lokomotiv' before West Brom's match against Tottenham Hotspur in September 2010, and it's followed by a portrait of Odemwingie on his debut against Sunderland. When West Brom beat Arsenal 3–2 at the Emirates Stadium on September 25, 2010, they scored Odemwingie for the second time. When West Brom defeated fellow promoted side Newcastle United 3–1 at the Hawthorns on December 5, they scored a brace for the team.

Odemwingie scored his second goal for West Brom, bringing his season total tally to ten goals, just two behind Robert Earnshaw's Premier League record for the club. The West Brom and Sunderland met at the Stadium of Light on April 9th to face Sunderland. Odemwingie continued to impress, scoring a goal in the 29th minute to level the scores. His team eventually defeated 3–2, three points, raising his team's resurgent hope. He expressed his desire to continue playing well for West Brom after the game by aiming for 15 league goals. With a goal against Chelsea on April 16, Odemwingie stepped closer to this personal goal in a single season in the Premier League, bringing his total number to 12. Odemwingie was reportedly targeted by a string of major clubs, including Italian giants Juventus, but Odemwingie denied talk of a change, saying he is happy at West Brom.

In the fifth minute against Tottenham Hotspur, Odemwingie maintained his fine form, scoring a lovely curling goal with his left foot. This brought him up to 13 league goals for the season, as well as four in his last five games. Odemwingie made history by becoming the first player in West Brom's Premier League history to score in four straight games on April 30. This goal came against Aston Villa, marking his first appearance in his debut season. It will also earn the second Premier League Player of the Month award of the season. On May 14th, his side faced Everton at the Hawthorns, and Odemwingie scored the game's only goal. West Brom finished on 46 points, boosting the Midlands' highest placed team in the Premier League. Odemwingie was the best goalcorer for West Bromwich Albion in the 2010-11 season with 15 league goals.

After the club's £4,000,000 bid from Wigan Athletic was turned down by the club, it was revealed on August 18th that Odemwingie had signed a new three-year contract with West Bromwich Albion. Richie De Laet and Declan Rudd's confusion fueled his first goal of the 2011–12 season after a string of injury setbacks, he scored his first goal of the 2011–12 season away from Norwich City, pouncing on a misunderstanding between Richie De Laet and Declan Rudd. In the Black Country derby, where West Bromwich Albion defeated Wolverham Wanderers 2–0, Odemwingie's second goal of the season was scored. On December 17, Odemwingie scored a spectacular goal against Blackburn Rovers, putting West Brom up a late lead after James Morrison scored a spectacular volley earlier in the half.

The result pushed West Brom to 13th position in the table going into the holiday season, and gave Odemwingie his third league goal of the season. In the twentieth minute of the Baggies' upcoming match against Newcastle United, a 3–2 victory on Tuesday, Odemwingie opened the scoring. Newcastle's winless streak in the Premier League lasted 6 games, taking West Brom up to 10 games and their first victory at Newcastle since 1977. In a 5–1 win over Black Country foe Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday, Odemwingie scored his first Premier League hat-trick for the club. In a 4–0 victory over Sunderland on February 25, he scored two goals in a 4–0 win. For the third time in his career, his performances in the month of February earned him the Premier League Player of the Month award.

In a 3–0 victory over Liverpool on August 18, Odemwingie started the new Premier League season well, converting a penalty. Odemwingie kicked out at Sascha Riether and was suspended with a red card at the game, but West Brom lost 3–0, their first loss of the season. Odemwingie scored a brace against Southampton on November 5, his second of the season on season, coming from a shot that deflected Maya Yoshida past Paulo Gazzaniga and his third headed goal from a Shane Longcross.

On November 17, Odemwingie ruled as the winner over Chelsea, boosting West Brom to a 2–1 home win, their sixth victory from seven home games to start the season. In the 83rd minute, Odemwingie made it 2–2 after West Brom had been 2 goals down at halftime in an enthralling match. West Brom announced on January 25 that they had turned down a formal transfer request from Odemwingie.

In addition to accusing them of "reaching into his pocket," Odemwingie's future at West Bromwich Albion was put into question when he launched a tirade against his club on Twitter, reiterating his call for a change elsewhere. On January 31, 2013, he was seen on Sky Sports News during the final day of the transfer window in an effort to sign for Queens Park Rangers, but he was refused admission as no one was allowed. He had been heavily chastised for his conduct, with Albion chairman Jeremy Peace claiming he was "unprofessionally" and that he was bound to see the remainder of his deal. Both QPR chief Harry Redknapp and West Brom executives said in the aftermath that Redknapp had been in touch with West Brom to discuss a transfer and that Odemwingie had arrived at the stadium under the assumption that no agreement had been reached. After being recalled home from training on his return to West Brom, Odemwingie was later disciplined by the club for his conduct on transfer deadline day and restarted training, as well as publicly apologizing for his conduct. He returned to the side against Sunderland on February 23, 2013 as a replacement in the last few minutes and was confronted by some Albion supporters. Steve Clarke continued to use Odemwingie as a replacement, prompting him to use Twitter once more. At the end of the season, Steve Clarke predicted that Odemwingie would leave West Brom in August 2013. Albion's 30 Premier League goals make him the club's top scorer in the competition.

Odemwingie signed a two-year deal with Cardiff City on September 2nd, 2013. Following the change, Odemwingie said he was eager for a fresh start in his career. In a 1–0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur on September 22, he made his debut on September 22, 2013. In a 3–2 loss to West Ham United in the League Cup, he scored his first goal for the club two days later. In a 2–1 loss to Newcastle United on October 5, 2013. He also scored in a 2–1 loss. Odemwingie, according to manager Malky Mackay, "is a pleasure to work with." Mackay was swapped for Ole Gunnar Solskjr in January 2014, but Odemwingie fell out of favour.

Odemwingie, a player-exchange with Kenwyne Jones, joined Stoke City on January 28th on an 18-month deal. Odemwingie described his transfer to Stoke as a "step forward." In a 1–0 loss at Sunderland on Saturday, he made his debut the next day. In a 2–2 draw with Southampton on 8 February 2014, he scored his first goal for Stoke. In a 3–1 victory over West Ham United on March 15, 2014, Odemwingie scored in a 3–1 victory. He continued this up with goals against Aston Villa and Hull City. He spent 2013–14 with five goals in 15 appearances for the Potters, earning him a spot in Nigeria's 30-man provisional squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

In a 1–0 victory over Manchester City on August 30, 2014, Odemwingie sustained a knee ligament injury, effectively ending his involvement in the 2014-15 season. In April 2015, Odemwingie returned to full training. In a 1–1 draw with Sunderland on April 25, he recovered from injury. Stoke finished in ninth place in a 2014–15 campaign, with Odemwingie only appearing eight times in an injury-plagued campaign. Odemwingie signed a new one-year deal with Stoke City on July 2nd.

After struggling for playing time with Stoke in 2015-16, Odemwingie joined Bristol City on loan in March 2016. He scored twice against Bolton Wanderers and Rotherham United for the Robins. At the end of the 2015-16 season, Stoke had him released.

Following his release from Stoke, Odemwingie appeared in court with Hull City in July 2016.

Odemwingie signed a short-term deal with Rotherham United until January 25, 2017, marking Kenny Jackett's first transfer for the club. In a 2–2 draw against Ipswich Town on October 29, Odemwingie made his Rotherham debut in his debut, replacing Jon Taylor in the 80th minute. In Kenny Jackett's last game as Rotherham boss on Saturday, the Odemwingie was given a straight red card for a forearm smash. Odemwingie left Rotherham United at the end of his short-term deal, notifying his manager via text message that he would not be staying at the club.

Odemwingie joined Indonesian Liga 1 side Madura United as a marquee player on April 3rd. In a 2–0 victory over Bali United on April 16, he scored on his debut in the league, earning a point. On April 12, 2017, he scored his first hat-trick against Semen Padang.

On April 3, 2019, Odemwingie announced his resignation.

International career

Odemwingie elected to represent Nigeria, where his father was born. In a 3–0 victory over Kenya on May 4, 2002, his first match as a substitute was a substitute. In the 2004 Nations cup qualifier against Angola, he scored his first goal. He scored in the 80th and 82nd minutes against South Africa in the finals. He appeared in the semi-finals for the Eagles, losing 1–0 to Ivory Coast at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations. In the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, he was also eligible to compete for Nigeria.

In 2008, Odemwingie was chosen as an over-age participant for the Super Eagles' Olympic team, scoring in the quarter-finals against Ivory Coast as the team gained the silver medal after losing the final to defending champions Argentina.

He captained the team for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, and Odemwingie chastised coach Shaibu Amodu's tactics, chastising them for the loss. He was selected as part of the tournament's Best XI.

In the Super Eagles' group stage exit, Odemwingie was selected for the Nigeria squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, playing against Argentina and Greece. Odemwingie, who had been suspended from the team's final match against South Korea, has publicly chastised coach Lars Lagerbäck following the team's dismissal.

Despite not representing the team for more than a year, Odemwingie was involved in a controversy with Nigeria's coach Stephen Keshi after being dropped from the squad for 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, but was included in Nigeria's 30-man provisional squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He made the cut for the final 23-man team in June 2014.

He was named in the starting lineup for the second group match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 21 after being a replacement in the team's first match against Iran. Odemwingie scored the Super Eagles' first victory since the 1998 edition of the FIFA World Cup.

Career statistics

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