| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Benedict Akwuegbu | ||
| Date of birth | (1974-11-03)3 November 1974 (age 51) | ||
| Place of birth | Jos,Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1989–1991 | Mighty Jets F.C. | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1991–1992 | RC Lens | ||
| 1992–1993 | K.S.C. Eendracht Aalst | 15 | (3) |
| 1994–1996 | Harelbeke | 49 | (14) |
| 1996–1997 | Waregem | 16 | (9) |
| 1997–1998 | Tienen | 27 | (4) |
| 1998–2002 | Grazer AK | 100 | (31) |
| 2002 | →Shenyang Ginde (loan) | 18 | (2) |
| 2002–2004 | Grazer AK | 20 | (7) |
| 2004 | FC Kärnten | 14 | (6) |
| 2004–2005 | St. Gallen | 12 | (3) |
| 2005–2006 | Wacker Innsbruck | 11 | (0) |
| 2006 | Siegen | 10 | (1) |
| 2006 | →Tianjin Teda (loan) | 6 | (3) |
| 2006–2007 | Panserraikos | 10 | (12) |
| 2007 | Qingdao Jonoon | 20 | (6) |
| 2008 | Beijing Hongdeng | 7 | (2) |
| 2009–2010 | Basingstoke Town | 4 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 2000–2005 | Nigeria | 35 | (10) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2012–2013 | Heartland F.C. (Asst General Manager) | ||
| 2015–2016 | FC Gratkorn (Manager) | ||
| 2016– | Mighty Jets F.C. (Technical Director) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Benedict Akwuegbu (born 3 November 1974) is a retiredNigerianfootballstriker.
He played for theNigerian national football team and was a2002 FIFA World Cup participant.
Akwuegbu started his career at the age of 15 in Nigeria before moving toFrench outfitRC Lens at the age of 17.[1] Then he spent five years inBelgium withKRC Harelbeke,KSV Waregem,KVK Tienen.Austrian sideGrazer AK signed him after the 1998 season.
Grazer AK won theAustrian Cup andAustrian Supercup in 2000 and 2002 and the league title in 2004 with his good performance. He won the Best Foreign Player and nicknamed "Austrian Bomber" by the press.[2] He played in 20 European games as he scored 12 including some remarkable goals. He attracted severalBundesliga clubs likeHamburger SV and1. FC Kaiserslautern.[3] However Grazer AK refused the offer from Kaiserslautern.
In April 2007, Akwuegbu was signed by Qingdao Jonoon. He scored his first goal for Qingdao on 13 May 2007, an 84-minute equalizer in a 3–2 loss away at Shanghai Schenhua. Qingdao Janoon boss, Yin Tiesheng spoke very high about him and his performance in the media, Akwuegbu became one of the most consistent players in the Qingdao squad.He was a vital part in Qingdao attack throughout the campaign and notched six goals in 20 games. Akwuegbu had an excellent season and was favorite of Qingdao Janoon fans.
Akwuegbu then joinedBasingstoke Town in theConference South. He scored his first goal for the Dragons againstDorchester Town on 5 April 2010. He was released at the end of the season.
Akwuegbu was selected toU-16 World Cup Final squad in1989 hosted byScotland.[4] However, he never had the chance to play as sitting on the bench in all four matches without substitution. Nigeria was beaten by eventual winner Saudi Arabia at the quarter-final stage. He also played for the U-20 national side.[2]
In 2000, his success in Austria made him joining theAfrica Cup of Nations tournament which he played his first international game againstTunisia. With his progress in the team he was involved in the2002 World Cup Qualifier and scoring two goals in the process, His performance made him selected to the2002 World Cup Final squad. He played the only World Cup game againstEngland.
After hanging up his boots, Ben has held several managerial positions. He currently ownsBen Akwuegbu F C which he acquired in 2022.[5] The team currently plays inNigeria Nationwide League, the 3rd tier of Nigeria football.
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