 Ighalo withWatford in 2016 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Odion Jude Ighalo[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1989-06-16)16 June 1989 (age 36)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ekpoma, Nigeria | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[3] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Striker | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2005 | Prime | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Prime | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Julius Berger | 10 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Lyn | 20 | (9) | ||||||||||||||
| 2008–2014 | Udinese | 6 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | →Granada (loan) | 26 | (16) | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | →Cesena (loan) | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2014 | →Granada (loan) | 95 | (16) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014 | →Watford (loan) | 8 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2017 | Watford | 82 | (34) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Changchun Yatai | 55 | (36) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Shanghai Shenhua | 17 | (10) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | →Manchester United (loan) | 12 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Al-Shabab | 31 | (21) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Al-Hilal | 40 | (31) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2025 | Al-Wehda | 63 | (21) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Nigeria U20 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2022 | Nigeria | 37 | (16) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 26 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 29 March 2022 | |||||||||||||||||
Odion Jude Ighalo (born 16 June 1989) is a Nigerian professionalfootballer who plays as aforward.
After starting his career at Nigerian clubsPrime andJulius Berger, Ighalo moved to Norwegian clubLyn in 2007. A year later, he was signed by Italian clubUdinese, spending most of his tenure on two separate loan spells with Spanish clubGranada. In 2014, he signed forChampionship clubWatford and was integral in the club's promotion to the Premier League in the2014–15 season. In January 2017, Ighalo joinedChinese Super League clubChangchun Yatai for a reported £20 million, before moving ontoShanghai Shenhua. In January 2020, Ighalo returned to thePremier League, joiningManchester United on loan, initially until the end of the 2019–20 season; the loan was then extended until January 2021.
Ighalo made his debut for theNigeria national team in March 2015 against Uganda. He represented the nation at the2018 World Cup and was thehighest goalscorer in the2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign. He eventually led Nigeria to athird-place finish at the2019 Africa Cup of Nations, where he finished in the competition'sTeam of the Tournament and was crownedtop scorer.[4]
Born inEdo[5] and raised inLagos,[6] Ighalo played in his country withPrime andJulius Berger, where he was discovered byFIFA agent Marcelo Houseman who recommended him to Atta Aneke, being subsequently taken on trial by Norway'sLyn.[7]
He made hisTippeligaen debut on 16 September 2007 at the age of just 18, scoring in a 2–0 home win againstViking. He scored six goals in 13 matches inhis second year to help his team to the seventh position, and subsequently arose interest from other clubs in the country, withBrann reporting Lyn to theNorwegian Football Federation for unfairness in the negotiation process.[8]
On 30 July 2008, Ighalo signed forUdinese in Italy, moving alongside teammateJo Inge Berget and agreeing to a five-year contract.[9] He appeared rarely inSerie A inhis debut season, scoring againstCagliari in a 6–2 home routing.[10] Four of his five league appearances came as a latesubstitute.[11]
Ighalo wasloaned toGranada in the summer of 2009, as part of the partnership agreement between Udinese and the Spaniards.[12][13][14] He scored 17 times inhis first year (playoffs included)[15] and five inthe second, as both seasons ended in promotion;[16][17] this was interspersed with a brief loan stint back in Italy, withCesena.[18]
Ighalo continued playing with Granada in the following years, still owned by theUdine club.[19][20] He played his firstLa Liga match on 27 August 2011, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–1 home loss toReal Betis.[21]
Ighalo joinedWatford on a season-long loan deal from Udinese, on 29 July 2014.[22] He made his debut for the English club inthe first round of theLeague Cup away toStevenage on 12 August,[23] and scored his first goal in theChampionship againstBrentford on 30 September by tucking the ball home after his initialpenalty was saved byDavid Button, in a 2–1 home win.[24][25]
On 24 October 2014, Watford terminated Ighalo's loan and re-signed him on a permanent deal the same day after Udinese released him from his contract.[26] Exactly three months later, he scored four second-half goals and was votedman of the match in a 7–2 home routing ofBlackpool, who led 0–2 at half time;[27] he took his league tally to 14 on 10 February 2015, after netting a brace to help his team come from behind at Brentford to win it 2–1 – his second came through an injury-time header.[28]
Ighalo scored in hisPremier League debut on 8 August 2015, replacingJosé Manuel Jurado 16 minutes from time and putting the visitors ahead 2–1 in an eventual 2–2 draw away againstEverton forthe season opener.[29] He netted twice in a 2–0 home win overWest Ham United on 31 October, reaching seven goals forthe season and becoming the highest club scorer in the competition after just 11 matches.[30] On 20 December, Ighalo scored in a Watford victory for the fourth consecutive time, netting a brace in a 3–0 win overLiverpool.[31] His five-goal haul earned him December'sPremier League Player of the Month, while his managerQuique Sánchez Flores wonthe equivalent award.[32]
Ighalo broke a 599-minute personal scoring drought on 13 March 2016, with a goal in a 2–1 win against holdersArsenal inthe quarter-finals of theFA Cup, putting the Hornets into the last four for the first time in nine years.[33] On 12 August he signed a new five-year contract[34] but,the following season, he scored just one league goal and did not find the net in any of his last 15 games.[35]
On 31 January 2017, Ighalo joinedChinese Super League clubChangchun Yatai for a reported £20 million.[35] He ranked second in the scoring charts inhis second season at 21, but his team suffered relegation.[36][37]
Ighalo transferred toShanghai Shenhua on 14 February 2019.[38][39] In March, he said he turned down a move toBarcelona the previous month.[40]
In March 2020, he was offered a contract extension worth over £400,000 a week by Shenhua.[41]
On 31 January 2020, Ighalo returned to the Premier League, joiningManchester United on loan until the end of the season.[42][43] In doing so, he became the first Nigerian player, and the seventh African, to join the club.[44] After the move was confirmed, Ighalo revealed that he had taken a pay cut to make the move happen, calling it a "dream" to join the club he has long supported.[45] He opted to wear the number 25 shirt, previously worn by United's first and longest-serving African player,Quinton Fortune ofSouth Africa.[46]
His presence within the first team was initially blocked as a precautionary measure due to ongoing fears over theCOVID-19 outbreak in China.[47][48] After three substitute appearances, Ighalo made his full debut for United in theirEuropa League round-of-32 second-leg match againstClub Brugge on 27 February. He scored his first United goal, which was also his maiden goal in a European competition, as the hosts won 5–0.[49] A week later, he scored his first brace for the club as United beatDerby County 3–0 in theFA Cup.[50] In United's final game before thesuspension of football due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ighalo scored a half-volley after juggling the ball in a 5–0 win overLASK; it was voted United's goal of the month for March.[51]
With football suspended due to theCOVID-19 pandemic and Ighalo's loan set to expire at the end of May, United announced that they had agreed to extend Ighalo's loan deal until 30 January 2021.[52] On 26 January 2021, Ighalo posted a farewell message on social media, ahead of his imminent departure from United at the end of the month.[53] United confirmed Ighalo's departure the following day.[54]
On 4 February 2021, Ighalo joinedSaudi Professional League clubAl Shabab on a two-and-a-half-year contract.[55]
On 29 January 2022, he signed for Saudi clubAl-Hilal.[56] He finished his first season as the league's top scorer with 24 goals.[57] On 26 February 2023, he scored four goals in a 7–0 win overAl-Duhail in theChampions League semi-final.[58]
On 15 August 2023, Ighalo joinedAl-Wehda on a free transfer.[59]
On 24 March 2015, after a series of strong performances for Watford, newly appointedNigeria interim coachDaniel Amokachi selected Ighalo for the first time, and the latter stated, "I feel good because it is my dream to play for my country".[60] He won his firstcap two days later, starting in a 0–1friendly home loss toUganda.[61]
Ighalo was initially named as one of three overage players inNigeria's squad for the2016 Olympic tournament, but he eventually did not make the trip to Brazil.[62] In June 2018, he was named in the 23-man squad forthe upcoming edition of theFIFA World Cup in Russia,[63] making his first appearance inthe competition by playing 73 minutes in the 0–2 group stage defeat againstCroatia;[64] in October, he revealed that his family had received death threats after he failed to score in the tournament.[65]
Ighalo scored seven goals in the2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign, the most by any player, to help Nigeria qualify for the finals in Egypt later that year.[66] He was included inGernot Rohr's squad,[67] taking part in all the matches and finding the net againstBurundi in the group phase (1–0),[68]Cameroon in the round of 16 (3–2 win),[69]Algeria in the semi-finals (1–2 loss)[70] andTunisia in the third-place playoff (1–0).[71] At the end of the competition, he announced his retirement from the international scene.[72]
Ighalo was recalled to the Nigeria team for the2021 Africa Cup of Nations but his club, Al Shabab, blocked him from taking part.[73]
Ighalo is a devoutChristian,[74] who also often dedicates part of his wages for Nigerian charitable organisations to help impoverished children, schools and widows below the poverty line.[75] He is a lifelong Manchester United supporter.[76] Ighalo has three children, two sons and one daughter.[77] On 22 June 2021, He was unveiled as an Ambassador of the National Principal's Cup in Abuja by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development,Sunday Dare.[78]
| 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 | ||
| Prime | 2005[79] | Nigeria National League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| Julius Berger | 2006[79] | Nigeria National League | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 5 | |||
| Lyn | 2007[79] | Tippeligaen | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 3 | |||
| 2008[79] | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 6 | |||||
| Total | 20 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 20 | 9 | |||||
| Udinese | 2008–09[79] | Serie A | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | |||
| Granada (loan) | 2009–10[79] | Segunda División B | 26 | 16 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2[c] | 1 | 28 | 17 | ||
| Cesena (loan) | 2010–11[80] | Serie A | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| Granada (loan) | 2010–11[80] | Segunda División | 21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4[d] | 1 | 25 | 5 | ||
| 2011–12[80] | La Liga | 30 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 31 | 6 | ||||
| 2012–13[80] | 28 | 5 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 30 | 6 | |||||
| 2013–14[80] | 16 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 18 | 4 | |||||
| Total | 95 | 17 | 5 | 3 | — | — | 4 | 1 | 104 | 21 | ||||
| Watford | 2014–15[80] | Championship | 35 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 20 | ||
| 2015–16[80] | Premier League | 37 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 42 | 17 | |||
| 2016–17[80] | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 20 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 90 | 37 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 100 | 40 | ||||
| Changchun Yatai | 2017[80] | Chinese Super League | 27 | 15 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 27 | 15 | |||
| 2018[80] | 28 | 21 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 28 | 21 | |||||
| Total | 55 | 36 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 55 | 36 | |||||
| Shanghai Shenhua | 2019[80] | Chinese Super League | 17 | 10 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 19 | 10 | |||
| Manchester United (loan) | 2019–20[81] | Premier League | 11 | 0 | 3 | 3 | — | 5[e] | 2 | — | 19 | 5 | ||
| 2020–21[82] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[f] | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| Total | 12 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | — | 23 | 5 | |||
| Al Shabab | 2020–21[80] | Saudi Pro League | 13 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 9 | ||
| 2021–22[83] | 18 | 12 | 1 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 19 | 13 | ||||
| Total | 31 | 21 | 1 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 22 | |||
| Al-Hilal | 2021–22[80] | Saudi Pro League | 13 | 12 | 3 | 2 | — | 4[g] | 2 | 2[h] | 1 | 22 | 17 | |
| 2022–23[80] | 27 | 19 | 4 | 2 | — | 3[g] | 5 | 4[h] | 0 | 38 | 26 | |||
| Total | 40 | 31 | 7 | 4 | — | 8 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 58 | 42 | |||
| Al-Wehda | 2023–24[80] | Saudi Pro League | 31 | 15 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 1[i] | 0 | 34 | 16 | ||
| 2024–25[80] | 32 | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 34 | 7 | |||||
| Total | 63 | 21 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 68 | 23 | ||||
| Career total | 473 | 204 | 30 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 9 | 12 | 3 | 533 | 232 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 2015 | 7 | 2 |
| 2016 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 10 | 6 | |
| 2019 | 10 | 6 | |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 37 | 16 | |
Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 June 2015 | Ahmadu Bello, Kaduna, Nigeria | 3 |  Chad | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2 | 11 October 2015 | Edmond Machtens, Brussels, Belgium | 5 |  Cameroon | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 3 | 31 May 2016 | Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg | 11 |  Luxembourg | 3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 4 | 1 September 2017 | Godswill Akpabio, Uyo, Nigeria | 13 | Cameroon | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 8 September 2018 | Stade Linité, Victoria, Seychelles | 23 |  Seychelles | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 6 | 13 October 2018 | Ahmadu Bello, Kaduna, Nigeria | 24 |  Libya | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 7 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 8 | 3–0 | ||||||
| 9 | 16 October 2018 | Taïeb Mhiri, Sfax, Tunisia | 25 | Libya | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 10 | 3–2 | ||||||
| 11 | 22 March 2019 | Stephen Keshi, Asaba, Nigeria | 26 | Seychelles | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 12 | 22 June 2019 | Alexandria Stadium, Alexandria, Egypt | 29 |  Burundi | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 13 | 6 July 2019 | Alexandria Stadium, Alexandria, Egypt | 32 | Cameroon | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 14 | 2–2 | ||||||
| 15 | 14 July 2019 | International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt | 34 |  Algeria | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 16 | 17 July 2019 | Al Salam Stadium, Cairo, Egypt | 35 |  Tunisia | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations |
Watford
Shanghai Shenhua
Al-Hilal
Nigeria
Individual
Nigeria squads | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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