.jpg) Odemwingie playing forStoke City in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Peter Osaze Odemwingie[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1981-07-15)15 July 1981 (age 44) | ||
| Place of birth | Tashkent,Uzbek SSR,Soviet Union (nowUzbekistan) | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1994 | KAMAZ | ||
| 1995–1998 | CSKA Moscow | ||
| 1999 | AS Racines Lagos | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2002 | Bendel Insurance | 53 | (19) |
| 2002–2004 | La Louvière | 44 | (9) |
| 2004–2007 | Lille | 75 | (23) |
| 2007–2010 | Lokomotiv Moscow | 75 | (21) |
| 2010–2013 | West Bromwich Albion | 87 | (30) |
| 2013–2014 | Cardiff City | 15 | (1) |
| 2014–2016 | Stoke City | 27 | (5) |
| 2016 | →Bristol City (loan) | 7 | (2) |
| 2016–2017 | Rotherham United | 7 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Madura United | 23 | (15) |
| Total | 413 | (125) | |
| International career | |||
| 2008 | Nigeria Olympic (O.P.) | 6 | (1) |
| 2002–2014 | Nigeria | 65 | (11) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Peter Osaze Odemwingie (born 15 July 1981) is a former professionalfootballer who played as aforward.
Born in what is nowUzbekistan, Odemwingie began his career withBendel Insurance[3] in theNigeria Premier League. He then earned a move to European football with Belgian sideLa Louvière where he spent three seasons winning theBelgian Cup before moving to French sideLille. Odemwingie scored 26 goals for Lille while also playing in the UEFA Champions League with the side.[4]Lokomotiv Moscow bought him for £10 million in July 2007. He scored 23 times in3+1⁄2 years for Lokomotiv.
He joined English sideWest Bromwich Albion in August 2010. He scored 30Premier League goals for the Baggies, which won him threePremier League Player of the Month awards. A failed move toQueens Park Rangers saw him fall out of favour with managerSteve Clarke and he was sold toCardiff City in August 2013 for a fee of £2.25 million. He spent six months at Cardiff before joiningStoke City in a player-exchange withKenwyne Jones in January 2014.
Odemwingie made his debut for theNigeria national team in a friendly againstKenya in May 2002 and has represented the country over 60 times, including at twoWorld Cups and fourAfrica Cup of Nations, as well as winning silver at the 2008 Olympics.
Odemwingie was born inTashkent in the formerSoviet Union to a Nigerian father (Peter Odemwingie Sr.) and aRussian Tatar mother (Raisa), both of whom were medical students.[5] He moved with his family to Nigeria when he was two years old before completing his secondary education in Russia.[6] Whilst living in Russia, he played in the youth teams ofKAMAZ andCSKA Moscow.[6] At the age of 17 he moved back to Nigeria and after spending a short time with AS Racines Lagos he became a professional withNigeria Premier League sideBendel Insurance, where he scored 19 goals in 53 league appearances from 2000 to 2002.[6][7] He was scouted by Chief Emmanuel Ibru, Chairman of AS Racines FC. The club serves as a feeder team to many local and foreign clubs.[8][9]
Odemwingie had an unsuccessful trial withAnderlecht before he signed forLa Louvière in 2002 and made his mark by helping the club to win theBelgian Cup in his first season.[10] This earned La Louvière qualification into theUEFA Cup where they played Portuguese sideBenfica, Odemwingie scoring in a 1–1 draw.[11] He had a trial withBlackburn Rovers in August 2004.[12]
Scoring nine goals in 44 appearances attracted the attention ofLigue 1 sideLille and before long he was a starter in the first team. Famous for his technique and pace, the Nigerian player was being monitored by a number of prestigious European clubs.[13] Odemwingie indicated that he wanted to stay at Lille and help them fight for the league the following season and scored five league goals for them in the 2006–07 season as well as one againstA.C. Milan at theSan Siro to take Lille to theUEFA Champions League knockout stages.[14]
On 16 July 2007, he signed forLokomotiv Moscow for a reported fee of US$14 million on a four-year contract.[15][16] In three seasons for Lokomotiv, Odemwingie became the driving force of the attack and one of their most important players. During his time atLokomotiv Stadium, Odemwingie managed 21 goals in theRussian Premier League from 75 games.
On 20 August 2010 Odemwingie signed forPremier League clubWest Bromwich Albion for an undisclosed fee on a two-year contract, with the option of a third year in the club's favour.[17] A day later, he scored the 81st-minute winning goal on his Premier League debut, a 1–0 win againstSunderland.[18] Shortly after signing for West Bromwich Albion, photographs showed Lokomotiv Moscow fans celebrating the sale of Odemwingie through the use ofracist banners targeted at the player.[19] One banner included the image of a banana and read "Thanks West Brom".[19] Before West Brom's game againstTottenham Hotspur in September 2010, it was announced that West Brom fans would unfurl a banner to counter the racist one, the banner read 'Thanks Lokomotiv' and is accompanied by a picture of Odemwingie celebrating his winner on his debut against Sunderland.[20] Odemwingie scored again for West Brom as they defeatedArsenal 3–2 at theEmirates Stadium on 25 September 2010.[21] Odemwingie scored a brace for West Brom on 5 December 2010, as they defeated fellow promoted sideNewcastle United 3–1 atthe Hawthorns.
Odemwingie scored the second goal for West Brom which brought his season tally in the Premier League to 10 goals, only two behindRobert Earnshaw's Premier League record for the club.[22] 9 April saw West Brom travel to theStadium of Light to play Sunderland. Odemwingie continued to impress and scored a goal in the 29th minute to level the scores. His side eventually won 3–2, three points significantly helping his side's survival hopes.[23][24][25] After the game, he announced his desire to keep on playing well for West Brom by aiming to score 15 league goals.[26] On 16 April Odemwingie edged closer to this personal target when he became West Brom's joint top goalscorer ever in a single season in the Premier League with a goal againstChelsea, bringing his tally to 12.[27] Because of his continued success in his debut season in England, Odemwingie was reportedly targeted by a number of big clubs, including Italian giantsJuventus,[28] but Odemwingie dispelled talk of a move, stating that he's happy at West Brom.[29]
Odemwingie continued his fine form, scoring a lovely curling effort with his left foot in the fifth minute againstTottenham Hotspur.[30] This brought him on to 13 league goals for the season, and meant that he had scored four in his last five games.[22] On 30 April, Odemwingie became the first player in West Brom's Premier League history to score in four consecutive games. This goal came againstAston Villa and meant he had scored 15 goals thus far in his debut season. It would also contribute to Odemwingie's secondPremier League Player of the Month award of the season.[31] His side facedEverton at the Hawthorns on 14 May and Odemwingie provided an assist forYoussuf Mulumbu to score the only goal of the game.[32] The result put West Brom on 46 points, bolstering their chances of finishing as the Midlands' highest placed club in the Premier League. Odemwingie ended the2010–11 Season as West Bromwich Albion's top goal scorer with 15 league goals.
On 18 August it was announced that Odemwingie had signed a new three-year agreement with West Bromwich Albion, after a £4,000,000 bid fromWigan Athletic was turned down by the club.[33] After some injury setbacks, he scored his first goal of the 2011–12 season away toNorwich City, pouncing on confusion betweenRichie De Laet andDeclan Rudd. Odemwingie's second goal of the season came in theBlack Country derby, where West Bromwich Albion defeatedWolverhampton Wanderers 2–0. Odemwingie scored a spectacular goal againstBlackburn Rovers on 17 December, putting West Brom into a late lead afterJames Morrison had scored a stunning volley earlier in the half.[34]
The result put West Brom up to 13th in the table heading into the busy Christmas period and gave Odemwingie his third league goal of the season.[35][36] Odemwingie opened the scoring in the twentieth minute of the Baggies next fixture atNewcastle United, a 3–2 victory, on Tuesday 21 December.[37][38] The result extended Newcastle's winless run in the Premier League to 6 games, put West Brom up to 10 and sealed their first victory at Newcastle in the league since 1977.[39] On 12 February, Odemwingie scored his firstPremier League hat-trick for the club in a 5–1 victory over Black Country rivalWolverhampton Wanderers.[40] On 25 February he scored 2 goals in a 4–0 win againstSunderland.[41] His performances in the month of February led him to be named thePremier League Player of the Month for the third time in his career.
Odemwingie started off the newPremier League season well, converting a penalty in a 3–0 victory overLiverpool on 18 August 2012.[42] During West Brom's game on 15 September againstFulham, Odemwingie kicked out atSascha Riether and was penalised with a red card; West Brom went on to lose the game 3–0, their first defeat of the season.[43] On 5 November 2012, Odemwingie scored abrace againstSouthampton, his second of the season coming from a shot that deflected offMaya Yoshida pastPaulo Gazzaniga and his third a headed goal from aShane Long cross.[44]
Odemwingie headed in the winner againstChelsea on 17 November, pushing West Brom to a 2–1 home victory, their sixth win from seven home games to start the season.[45] Later in the season Odemwingie scored against Aston Villa to make it 2–2 in the 83rd minute after West Brom had been 2 goals down at half-time in an enthralling match. On 25 January 2013, West Brom announced they had rejected a formal transfer request from Odemwingie.[46]
Odemwingie's future at West Bromwich Albion came under doubt when he launched a tirade against his club on Twitter, in addition to accusing them of "reaching into his pocket", reiterating his wish for a move elsewhere.[47] On 31 January 2013, he was seen onSky Sports News during the final day of the transfer window parked outside ofLoftus Road in an attempt to sign forQueens Park Rangers, but was refused entry as no offer was accepted for him.[48] He was widely criticised for his actions, with Albion chairman Jeremy Peace saying he acted "unprofessionally", and that he was obligated to see out the rest of his contract.[49] Both QPR managerHarry Redknapp and representatives from West Brom stated in the aftermath that Redknapp had been in contact with West Brom to finalise a move and that Odemwingie had arrived at the stadium under the impression a deal had been reached for his sale, however, talks fell through and no agreement was reached. After initially being sent home from training on his return to West Brom, Odemwingie was later disciplined by the club for his actions on transfer deadline day and resumed training, while also publicly apologizing for his behaviour.[50][51] He returned to the side againstSunderland on 23 February 2013 coming on as a substitute in the final few minutes and was jeered by some Albion supporters.[52][53]Steve Clarke continued to use Odemwingie as a substitute which caused him to again attack the club on Twitter.[54] At the end of the season Steve Clarke stated that he expected Odemwingie to leave West Brom in August 2013.[55][56] Odemwingie's 30 Premier League goals for Albion make him the club's top scorer in the competition.[57]
On 2 September 2013, Odemwingie signed a two-year contract withCardiff City for £2.25 million.[58] Speaking after the move Odemwingie stated that he was eager for a fresh start in his career.[59] He made his debut on 22 September 2013 in a 1–0 defeat againstTottenham Hotspur.[60] He scored his first goal for the club two days later in a 3–2 defeat againstWest Ham United in theLeague Cup.[61] He also scored in a 2–1 loss againstNewcastle United on 5 October 2013.[62] He developed a good relationship with managerMalky Mackay who stated that Odemwingie "is a joy to work with".[63][64] However Mackay was replaced withOle Gunnar Solskjær in January 2014 and Odemwingie fell out of favour.[65]
On 28 January 2014, Odemwingie joinedStoke City on an 18-month contract in a player-exchange withKenwyne Jones.[66][67] Odemwingie described his move to Stoke as a "step forward".[68] He made his debut the next day in a 1–0 defeat away atSunderland.[69] He scored his first goal for Stoke on 8 February 2014 in a 2–2 draw againstSouthampton.[70] Odemwingie scored in a 3–1 win overWest Ham United on 15 March 2014.[71] He followed this up with goals againstAston Villa andHull City.[72][73][74] He ended2013–14 with five goals in 15 appearances for the Potters which earned him a place in Nigeria's 30-man provisional squad for the2014 FIFA World Cup.[75]
Odemwingie suffered a knee ligament injury in a 1–0 win atManchester City on 30 August 2014, ruling him out for most of the2014–15 season.[76] Odemwingie returned to full training in April 2015.[77] He made his return from injury on 25 April 2015 in a 1–1 draw withSunderland.[78] Odemwingie only managed eight appearances in an injury hit 2014–15 campaign as Stoke again finished in 9th position.[79] On 2 July 2015 Odemwingie signed a new one-year contract with Stoke City.[80]
After struggling for playing time with Stoke in2015–16, Odemwingie joinedChampionship sideBristol City on loan in March 2016.[81] He played seven times for the Robins scoring twice againstBolton Wanderers andRotherham United.[82][83] He was released by Stoke at the end of the 2015–16 season.[84]
Following his release from Stoke, Odemwingie had a trial withHull City in July 2016.[85]
On 24 October 2016, Odemwingie signed a short-term contract until 25 January 2017 withRotherham United, becomingKenny Jackett's first signing for the club.[86] On 29 October, Odemwingie made his debut for Rotherham, coming on as a substitute, replacingJon Taylor in the 80th minute, in a 2–2 draw againstIpswich Town. Odemwingie was given a straight red card for a forearm smash inKenny Jackett's final match as Rotherham manager on 26 November in a 2–1 defeat againstLeeds United.[87] Odemwingie left Rotherham United at the end of his short-term contract, informing his manager via text message that he would not be staying at the club.[88]
On 3 April 2017, Odemwingie joined IndonesianLiga 1 sideMadura United as amarquee player.[89] He scored on his league debut, successfully netting a penalty in a 2–0 triumph againstBali United on 16 April.[90] He created his first hat-trick againstSemen Padang on 12 April 2017.[91]
Odemwingie announced his retirement on 3 April 2019.[92]
Odemwingie chose to represent Nigeria where his father was born. His first match came as asubstitute in a 3–0 victory overKenya on 4 May 2002.[7][93] He scored his first goal in the 2004 Nations cup qualifying match againstAngola. In the finals he scored in the 80th and 82nd minute of a 4-0 win overSouth Africa, as well as scoring in the 52nd minute of the 3rd place play-off to put Nigeria 2-0 up in an eventual 2-1 win overMali. At the2006 Africa Cup of Nations, he played in the semi-final as the Super Eagles lost toIvory Coast 1–0.[94] He was also included to play forNigeria in the2008 Africa Cup of Nations.
In 2008, Odemwingie was selected as an over-age player for the Super Eagles'Olympic squad, scoring in the quarter-final against Ivory Coast as the team earned the silver medal[95] after losing the final to defending championsArgentina.[96]
Hecaptained the team for the2010 Africa Cup of Nations,[97] and when Nigeria bowed out of the competition at the semi-final stage, Odemwingie controversially openly criticised coachShaibu Amodu's tactics, blaming them for the defeat.[98] He was chosen as part of theBest XI of the tournament.[99][100]
Odemwingie was selected for the Nigeria squad for the2010 FIFA World Cup,[101] appearing againstArgentina andGreece in the Super Eagles' group stage exit.[102] After the team's elimination, Odemwingie, who was omitted from the team for the final match againstSouth Korea, publicly criticised coachLars Lagerbäck.[103]
Odemwingie was involved in a dispute with Nigeria's coachStephen Keshi after being omitted from the squad for2013 Africa Cup of Nations[104] but was named in Nigeria's 30-man provisional squad for the2014 FIFA World Cup on 12 May 2014, despite not representing the team for over year.[105] In June 2014, he made the cut for the final 23-man squad.[106]
After appearing as a substitute in the team's opening match againstIran,[107] he was named in the starting line-up for the second group fixture againstBosnia and Herzegovina on 21 June. In scoring the only goal of the match, Odemwingie gave the Super Eagles their first win at theFIFA World Cup since the1998 edition.[108]
Originally from Benin City, Odemwingie was born to a Nigerian father and a Tatar mother. His middle name, Osaze, in the Edo language means "God chooses (for you)".[109] Odemwingie married his fiancée, Sarah Fallon, on 26 May 2012 at a church inNorthampton after two years of dating.[110]
Since his retirement from professional football, Odemwingie has qualified as aPGA professionalgolfer.[111]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bendel Insurance | 2000 | Nigeria Premier League | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 3 | ||
| 2001 | Nigeria Premier League | 17 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 7 | |||
| 2002 | Nigeria Premier League | 18 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 9 | |||
| Total | 53 | 19 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 53 | 19 | ||||
| La Louvière | 2002–03 | Belgian First Division | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 | |
| 2003–04 | Belgian First Division | 27 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | 29 | 6 | ||
| 2004–05 | Belgian First Division | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ||
| Total | 44 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | 46 | 10 | |||
| Lille | 2004–05 | Ligue 1 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 4 |
| 2005–06 | Ligue 1 | 26 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 34 | 15 | |
| 2006–07 | Ligue 1 | 29 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 40 | 7 | |
| Total | 75 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 3 | 100 | 26 | ||
| Lokomotiv Moscow | 2007 | Russian Premier League | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 2 | 19 | 6 | |
| 2008 | Russian Premier League | 26 | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 26 | 10 | ||
| 2009 | Russian Premier League | 25 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 25 | 7 | ||
| 2010 | Russian Premier League | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Total | 75 | 21 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 2 | 80 | 23 | |||
| West Bromwich Albion | 2010–11[115] | Premier League | 32 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 32 | 15 | |
| 2011–12[116] | Premier League | 30 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 32 | 11 | ||
| 2012–13[117] | Premier League | 25 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 26 | 5 | ||
| Total | 87 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 90 | 31 | ||
| Cardiff City | 2013–14[118] | Premier League | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 16 | 2 | |
| Stoke City | 2013–14[118] | Premier League | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 5 | |
| 2014–15[79] | Premier League | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16[119] | Premier League | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| Total | 27 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 31 | 5 | |||
| Bristol City (loan) | 2015–16[119] | Championship | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 2 | |
| Rotherham United | 2016–17[120] | Championship | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | |
| Madura United | 2017 | Liga 1 | 23 | 15 | — | — | — | 23 | 15 | |||
| Career total | 413 | 125 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 28 | 6 | 453 | 133 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | |||
| 2002 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 8 | 3 | |
| 2005 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 11 | 3 | |
| 2011 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 7 | 1 | |
| Total | 65 | 11 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 June 2003 | Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium,Benin City, Nigeria |  Angola | 2-2 | 2-2 | 2004 African Cup of Nations qualification | [121] |
| 2 | 31 April 2004 | Mustapha Ben Jannet Stadium,Monastir, Tunisia |  South Africa | 3-0 | 4-0 | 2004 African Cup of Nations | [122] |
| 3 | 4-0 | ||||||
| 4 | 13 February 2004 | Mustapha Ben Jannet Stadium, Monastir, Tunisia |  Mali | 2-0 | 2-1 | 2004 African cup of Nations | [123] |
| 5 | 8 October 2005 | Moshood Abiola National Stadium,Abuja, Nigeria |  Zimbabwe | 5-1 | 5-1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | [124] |
| 6 | 11 October 2008 | Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, Nigeria |  Sierra Leone | 3-1 | 4-1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification | [125] |
| 7 | 6 September 2009 | Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, Nigeria |  Tunisia | 1-0 | 2-2 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification | [126] |
| 8 | 20 January 2010 | Estádio Nacional da Tundavala,Lubango, Angola |  Mozambique | 1-0 | 3-0 | 2010 African Cup of Nations | [127] |
| 9 | 2-0 | ||||||
| 10 | 11 August 2010 | Suwon World Cup Stadium,Suwon, South Korea |  South Korea | 1-1 | 1-2 | Friendly | [128] |
| 11 | 21 June 2014 | Arena Pantanal,Cuiabá, Brazil |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1-0 | 1-0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup | [129] |
La Louvière
Nigeria
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