 Martins withLevante in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1984-10-28)28 October 1984 (age 41)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Lagos, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2000 | Ebedei | ||
| 2000–2001 | Reggiana | ||
| 2001–2002 | Inter Milan | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2001 | Reggiana | 2 | (0) |
| 2001–2006 | Inter Milan[2] | 88 | (28) |
| 2006–2009 | Newcastle United | 88 | (28) |
| 2009–2010 | VfL Wolfsburg | 16 | (6) |
| 2010–2012 | Rubin Kazan | 20 | (3) |
| 2011 | →Birmingham City (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Levante | 21 | (7) |
| 2013–2015 | Seattle Sounders FC | 72 | (40) |
| 2016–2018 | Shanghai Shenhua | 40 | (19) |
| 2020 | Shanghai Shenhua | 4 | (0) |
| 2020 | Wuhan | 6 | (1) |
| Total | 361 | (132) | |
| International career | |||
| 2004–2015 | Nigeria | 42 | (18) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins (born 28 October 1984) is a Nigerian former professionalfootballer who played as aforward.
After leaving Nigeria for Italy at age 16, he played for a number oftop-division clubs around Europe. He began his senior career in 2002 atSerie A clubInter Milan, before he moved toPremier League clubNewcastle United in 2006, and then toBundesliga clubVfL Wolfsburg in 2009. Having joinedRussian Premier League sideRubin Kazan in July 2010, theyloaned him toBirmingham City in January 2011. He spent a season withLa Liga clubLevante, he played forSeattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer from 2013 to 2015, scoring 40 goals, before spending several years in China withShanghai Shenhua andWuhan.
In club football, Martins won the Serie A title, theItalian Cup (twice), and theItalian Super Cup, all with Inter. With Birmingham he scored the winning goal in the2011 Football League Cup Final. He playedEuropean football with Inter, Newcastle and Wolfsburg. His highest scoring league seasons saw him score 11 goals in the2004–05 Serie A, and 17 in both the2006–07 Premier League and2014 MLS. In international football, Martins was in the Nigerian squad for theAfrica Cup of Nations in2006,2008 and2010, and for theFIFA World Cup in2010.
Martins joined the local football clubF.C. Ebedei, having been scouted by managerChurchill Oliseh while playing on the streets of his hometown. After a year with the club,Serie C sideA.C. Reggiana made a move for the player. After a three-month trial, Martins and Ebedei teammateStephen Makinwa signed youth contracts with the club in 2000. His first season in Italy saw Martins break into the first team squad, and later in the yearSerie A sidesPerugia andInter Milan made offers for theforward.[4]
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Martins was signed by Inter Milan in 2001 for a €750,000transfer fee,[5] and in his first season he scored 23 goals for the youth team, helping them to win theCampionato Nazionale Primavera in 2001–02 season.[6] His form for the youth side led to his first-team league debut the following season, starting in a match againstParma on 22 December 2002 which was won by Inter 2–1.[7] The following month, he signed a new contract for the club along withNicola Beati andGiovanni Pasquale.[8]
Martins did not become a regular member of the first team squad until the 2002–03 season. During this season he was given his firstUEFA Champions League appearance by managerHéctor Cúper, entering as a substitute against his future employers, Newcastle United, atSt James' Park. He scored his first Champions League goal in a match againstBayer 04 Leverkusen to secure Inter's place in the quarter-finals; footage of his celebratorysomersaults were subsequently used byUEFA to advertise the following season's competition. He scored again in the semi-final match against Inter's arch-rivalsMilan, but could not prevent the club losing out onaway goals to the competition's eventual winners.[9] In the championship, he scored once in four appearances.[2]
Martins signed a long-term contract with Inter Milan in 2005 which ran until 2010 and was worth around €2.5 million annually.[10] He was also protagonist in team's successful run inCoppa Italia, scoring six goals, including a hat-trick againstBologna,[11] as the tournament ended in conquest.[12] Martins amassed 22 goals in 45 matches across all competitions, setting a new personal best; his good form for Inter earned him a spot in Nigeria's2006 Africa Cup of Nations squad.[13]
Although he had some success with Inter, scoring 28 goals for the club in 88 league games as well as 11 goals in European competitions, he was sold in August 2006. This was due to Inter bringing in two new strikers; first ArgentinianHernán Crespo was brought in onloan fromChelsea and then the SwedeZlatan Ibrahimović was bought by Inter fromJuventus.[14]
After Martins submitted a transfer request,[14]Premier League clubNewcastle United completed a deal with Inter for the striker on 24 August 2006 for €15 million.[15] Martins signed a five-year deal. He was paraded in front of theGeordie fans before their UEFA cup tie againstFK Ventspils, and inherited the club's cherished number 9 shirt, vacated after the retirement of the club-record goalscorerAlan Shearer in April.
Martins made his Premier League debut on 27 August, in the 2–0 defeat toAston Villa, in which he was stretchered off with a knee injury. It turned out that Martins suffered a severe dead leg and internal bleeding. His unremarkable first few appearances for Newcastle caused managerGlenn Roeder to speak out in his defence.[16]
However, on 17 September, Martins scored his first goal for Newcastle. It was the second goal in a 2–0 victory overWest Ham United atUpton Park, and from there his goalscoring form began to improve steadily.
Reports in January 2007 suggested thatChelsea were considering making an offer for Martins' services after his impressive form. These reports were later rubbished by Martins himself,[17] and Roeder stated that although he was interested in signing a Chelsea player, he would not allow Martins to leave Newcastle.[18]
On 14 January, in a 3–2 away win againstTottenham Hotspur, Martins' 20-yard shot rocketed into the net. This strike was clocked bySky Sports at a speed of 84 mph (135 km/h), making it unofficially the ninth hardest shot ever recorded in football according to theGuardian website.[19] This was his tenth goal for Newcastle. Martins ended his first season on Tyneside with 17 goals in 46 games.
His second season was somewhat mixed. With new managerSam Allardyce preferring to playMichael Owen andMark Viduka up front, Martins found himself being used as an impact substitute for the first half of the season. Despite this he managed to score consistently, and when Allardyce was sacked andKevin Keegan was appointed, Martins found himself being used as part of a three pronged attack along with Owen and Viduka. Martins scored fewer goals in his second season with Newcastle, mainly due to him no longer being the focal point of all their attacks as he was in his first season with them, as well as his season being interrupted with the African Cup of Nations participation with Nigeria in December.
Martins scored six goals in 12 league games during the first half of the 2008–09 season before a torn hamstring ruled him out for several games.[20] He did make it back in time for the last two games of the season, scoring in a relegation six-pointer derby againstMiddlesbrough. However, he could not stop Newcastle being relegated to the Championship.[21] He initially reiterated his desire to stay and help the club return to thePremier League for the 2009–10 season, but he eventually left forVfL Wolfsburg. His last game was in a preseason friendly againstLeyton Orient, which Newcastle lost 6–1.
During his three-year spell on Tyneside, Martins amassed 35 goals in all competitions from 104 games.
On 29 July 2009, Newcastle accepted a £9 million bid fromBundesliga championsVfL Wolfsburg. The transfer was confirmed on 31 July with Martins signing a four-year contract.[22] For his debut, Martins came on as a second-half substitute against1. FC Köln at theRhein Energie Stadion, with his team deadlocked at 1–1. He helped in the buildup to the second goal and capped off his first appearance in the Bundesliga with a well-taken goal after dribbling past two onrushing defenders and then coolly finishing from six yards out, slotting the ball past the goalkeeper to the far post.
On 9 July 2010, Martins was sold for a reported €17 million to reigningRussian Premier League championsRubin Kazan. He signed a three-year contract and toldBBC Sport: "I am joining a team of champions and I hope to bring my best to the club to make them even greater." Martins' agent, Nicola Walter, revealed that Rubin met all of the player's requirements and that managerKurban Berdyev had a "massive role" for him to play, following the departure of strikerAleksandr Bukharov. Martins was able to make his debut with Rubin after 1 August, when the transfer window was opened. On 9 May 2012, Rubin Kazan won the Russian Cup giving Martins his first trophy in Russia.[23][24]
Following the birth of his child, Martins requested a move to England to be nearer to his family.[25] On 31 January 2011, he joined Premier League clubBirmingham City on loan until the end of the season,[26] with the option of a £5 million permanent deal in the summer of 2011.[27] He made his debut, which had been delayed by the formalities of obtaining a working visa, in the starting eleven againstStoke City on 12 February; he played for 75 minutes as Birmingham won 1–0.[28][29] He scored his first goal for the club, 17 minutes into the FA Cup fifth-round defeat ofSheffield Wednesday, after a strong run.[30]
Martins scored the winning goal in the2011 Football League Cup Final as Birmingham beatArsenal 2–1 atWembley Stadium, having been brought on as an 83rd-minute substitute. With one minute remaining in normal time, there was a moment of confusion between Arsenal goalkeeperWojciech Szczęsny and defenderLaurent Koscielny as they attempted to deal with a headed knock down from Birmingham'sNikola Žigić. Martins passed the resulting loose ball into the empty net from near the penalty spot.[31] Martins described it as "the easiest goal I've ever scored in my career".[32] After two more Premier League appearances, he spent several weeks out with an injury eventually diagnosed as astress fracture of the lefttibia. After surgery in late April, he faced a recovery period estimated at three to four months.[33]
On 13 September 2012, Martins moved toLevante on a free transfer, signing a two-year contract.[34][35] He made his league debut on 23 September 2012, where he scored his first goal, and the winning goal, in a 2–1 home win againstReal Sociedad.[36] Martins scored a brace for Levante in their 3–1 home victory overGranada on 28 October, sending his side into fourth place in the La Liga standings.[37]
On 11 March 2013, it was announced that Martins signed withMLS clubSeattle Sounders FC as aDesignated Player after the club paid a $4 million buyout clause in Martins' contract with Levante. The move concluded weeks of speculation of a possible Martins move to Seattle. Levante had been hesitant to lose Martins mid-season, and had threatened Sounders FC with a tampering lawsuit.[38] On 15 March 2013, the club announced that the signing was official.[39] Martins scored his first goal for the club on 20 April 2013, performing his signature back-flip goal celebration.[40]
On 24 October 2014, Martins signed a new three-year contract extension with Seattle, nearly doubling his annual salary to more than $3 million.[41] The following day, Martins provided an assist forMarco Pappa's first goal as Seattle defeated theGalaxy 2–0 to win theSupporters' Shield.[42] The assist meant that Martins finished with 17 goals during the regular season, a club record, as well as notching 13 assists, a joint-club record held withMauro Rosales.[41][42][43]
Martins had a very successful 2014 season with the Sounders, his second with the club, and was named as one of threeMLS MVP finalists.[44] Martins was named to theMLS Best XI and the Sounders won every game in which he scored.[45] He also wonMLS Goal of the Year for a looping goal he shot from an extremely tight angle near the end line into the far netting overEarthquakes keeperJon Busch.[46]
On 18 February 2016, Martins was signed forChinese Super League sideShanghai Shenhua.[47] On 15 May 2016, he scored his first goal with Shanghai as a late substitute in a 5–1 win overGuangzhou R&F.[48] Martins scored the only goal in the first leg of the2017 Chinese FA Cup final and scored a spectacular goal in the second. Although their opponents,Shanghai SIPG, won the second leg 3–2, Shanghai Shenhua won the trophy on away goals.[49]
On 31 March 2018, Martins scored his first hat-trick for Shenhua in a 4–2 home win againstHebei China Fortune.[50] However, he suffered a partial rupture of tendon of quadriceps femoris at his right knee in the fifth group stage match of2018 AFC Champions League againstKashima Antlers on 3 April 2018, which ruled him out for at least six months.[51] On 1 June 2018 it was announced that Martins had been waived from Shenhua.[52]
He suffered a torn hamstring in May 2019, and in November 2019 said that he was seeking a new club following his recovery from injury.[53]
On 15 July 2020, it was announced that Martins had returned toChinese Super League sideShanghai Shenhua.[54]
On 20 September 2020, after his Shanghai Shenhua contract was terminated, Martins joined Chinese Super League clubWuhan Zall on a short-term deal until the end of the season.[55][56]
Martins made his debut for Nigeria in 2004 at the age of 19 in the 2004Unity Cup scoring the second goal, in the tri-nations Unity Cup tournament in London.[57] He was a part of the Nigerian team that finished third in the2006 African Cup of Nations. Martins scored two goals in the competition, both coming againstSenegal in the first round.
His future for the national team was placed in doubt on numerous occasions after separate incidents of controversy. In August 2006, theNigerian FA (NFA) website had his date of birth down as 1 May 1978, which would have made him 28 years of age rather than 21. The NFA soon confirmed that it had been an administrative error and apologised for the confusion it had caused. However Martins threatened to quit playing for the national team after the blunder had initially put his move to Newcastle in doubt.[58]
On 6 February 2007, Martins failed to turn up for the 4–1 friendly defeat againstGhana, despite being ordered to play. He later explained his absence was due to the fact he had travelled to Lagos to visit his sick mother.[59]The Nigerian caretaker coachAugustine Eguavoen was furious with Martins and threatened to ban him from the national team.[60] On 14 February 2007, Martins apologised for missing the game but said he believed his mother's health was more important. He also said that he would be available to play for Nigeria in the future.[61] He made his return to the national side on 24 March 2007, playing the full match againstUganda in anAfrica Cup of Nations qualifying match and won.
Following the end of Nigeria's2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign, Nigeria faced Mexico inCiudad Juárez for a friendly match. Martins scored two goals in a 2–2 draw.
On 17 November 2007, Martins captained Nigeria for the first time, in a friendly match against Australia for his 19th appearance. On 12 November 2009 he scored a spectacular goal in the 83rd minute againstKenya in Nairobi, thus ensuring Nigeria's qualification for the2010 FIFA World Cup. At the finals in South Africa, Martins played in just two games for a total of 71 minutes, without scoring.[62] In the first group game, he came on as a 52nd-minute substitute forVictor Obinna.[63] In the third game he was used as a 57th-minute substitute forNwankwo Kanu.[64] Nigeria exited the tournament bottom ofGroup B with only one point.[65]
A fast, diminutive, and agile left-footed striker, who is quick on the ball, Martins is primarily known for his outstanding pace, mobility, and athleticism as a footballer, as well as his striking power, strength, and his elevation, despite his small stature; he has also stood out for his acrobatic goal celebrations.[66][67][68]
Martins had two brothers who also played football professionally. His elder brother,Oladipupo Martins, was also a professional footballer before retiring in 2009 due to heart problems. He died on 8 August 2011 of a suspected heart attack in Lagos, Nigeria.[69][70] Martins' younger brother is John Ronan Martins. The name "Obafemi" translates literally to "the king loves me" in theYoruba language.[71]
Martins received hisU.S. green card in 2015 which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[72]
He is married to Ghanaian Abigail Barwuah, the sister ofMario Balotelli. The couple have one child, born in 2013.[73]
His elder sonKevin Martins (b. 2005) followed in his footsteps and became a youth international for Italy.[74]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Reggiana[77] | 2000–01 | Serie C1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Inter Milan | 2001–02 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2002–03 | Serie A | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 4[c] | 2 | — | 10 | 3 | |||
| 2003–04 | Serie A | 25 | 7 | 3 | 1 | — | 9[d] | 3 | — | 37 | 11 | |||
| 2004–05 | Serie A | 31 | 11 | 6 | 6 | — | 9[c] | 5 | — | 46 | 22 | |||
| 2005–06 | Serie A | 28 | 9 | 5 | 2 | — | 9[c] | 2 | 1[e] | 0 | 43 | 13 | ||
| Total | 88 | 28 | 16 | 9 | — | 31 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 136 | 49 | |||
| Newcastle United | 2006–07 | Premier League | 33 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9[f] | 6 | — | 46 | 17 | |
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 31 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 33 | 10 | |||
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 24 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 8 | |||
| Total | 88 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 6 | — | 104 | 35 | |||
| VfL Wolfsburg | 2009–10 | Bundesliga | 16 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | 8[g] | 1 | — | 25 | 7 | ||
| Rubin Kazan | 2010 | Russian Premier League | 12 | 2 | — | — | 5[c] | 0 | — | 17 | 2 | |||
| 2011–12 | Russian Premier League | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 8[h] | 2 | — | 17 | 3 | |||
| 2012–13 | Russian Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 1[i] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 20 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 5 | |||
| Birmingham City (loan) | 2010–11 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 6 | 2 | ||
| Levante | 2012–13 | La Liga | 21 | 7 | 3 | 0 | — | 3[j] | 2 | — | 27 | 9 | ||
| Seattle Sounders FC | 2013 | Major League Soccer | 20 | 8 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1[k] | 0 | 22 | 8 | ||
| 2014 | Major League Soccer | 31 | 17 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 4[k] | 0 | 37 | 19 | |||
| 2015 | Major League Soccer | 21 | 15 | 1 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 3[k] | 0 | 25 | 16 | ||
| Total | 72 | 40 | 4 | 3 | — | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 84 | 43 | |||
| Shanghai Shenhua | 2016 | Chinese Super League | 26 | 9 | 5 | 6 | — | — | — | 31 | 15 | |||
| 2017 | Chinese Super League | 13 | 7 | 7 | 6 | — | 1[l] | 0 | — | 21 | 13 | |||
| 2018 | Chinese Super League | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 5[l] | 1 | 1[m] | 0 | 7 | 4 | ||
| Total | 40 | 19 | 12 | 12 | — | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 59 | 32 | |||
| Shanghai Shenhua | 2020 | Chinese Super League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| Wuhan | 2020 | Chinese Super League | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 361 | 132 | 40 | 25 | 6 | 2 | 70 | 24 | 11 | 0 | 488 | 183 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 2004 | 4 | 3 |
| 2005 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2006 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2007 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2010 | 12 | 3 | |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 42 | 18 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 May 2004 | The Valley, London, England |  Republic of Ireland | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | [80] |
| 2 | 5 June 2004 | National Stadium,Abuja, Nigeria |  Rwanda | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | [81] |
| 3 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 4 | 5 June 2005 | Amahoro Stadium,Kigali, Rwanda | Rwanda | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | [82] |
| 5 | 17 August 2005 | Tripoli Stadium,Tripoli, Libya |  Libya | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | [83] |
| 6 | 4 September 2005 | Ahmed Zabana Stadium,Oran, Algeria |  Algeria | 1–0 | 5–2 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | [84] |
| 7 | 4–2 | ||||||
| 8 | 8 October 2005 | National Stadium, Abuja, Nigeria |  Zimbabwe | 1–0 | 5–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | [85] |
| 9 | 3–1 | ||||||
| 10 | 31 January 2006 | Port Said Stadium,Port Said, Egypt |  Senegal | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2006 Africa Cup of Nations | [86] |
| 11 | 2–1 | ||||||
| 12 | 14 October 2007 | Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez,Ciudad Juárez, Mexico |  Mexico | 1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly | [87] |
| 13 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 14 | 14 November 2009 | Moi International Sports Centre,Nairobi, Kenya |  Kenya | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification | [88] |
| 15 | 3–2 | ||||||
| 16 | 20 January 2010 | Estádio Nacional da Tundavala,Lubango, Angola |  Mozambique | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2010 Africa Cup of Nations | [89] |
| 17 | 6 June 2010 | Makhulong Stadium,Tembisa, South Africa |  North Korea | 3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly | [90] |
| 18 | 5 September 2010 | U.J. Esuene Stadium,Calabar, Nigeria |  Madagascar | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | [91] |
Inter Milan[76]
Birmingham City[92]
Rubin Kazan[76]
Seattle Sounders FC[76]
Shanghai Shenhua[49]
Nigeria
Individual
Awards | |
|---|---|
Nigeria squads | |||||||||||||||||||
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