Peter Odemwingie

Personal information
Full name	Osaze Peter Odemwingie
Date of birth	July 15, 1981 (1981-07-15) (age 28)
Place of birth	Tashkent, Soviet Union
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Striker Winger
Club information
Current club	Lokomotiv Moscow
Number	9
Youth career
-1998	FC KAMAZ
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps (Gls)†
1999–2002	Bendel Insurance	061 0(17)
2002–2005	La Louviere	044 00(9)
2005–2007	Lille	075 0(23)
2007–	Lokomotiv Moscow	065 0(21)
National team‡
2004–	Nigeria	032 00(6)
Honours Competitor for  Nigeria Men's Football Silver 2008 Beijing Team Competition
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 07:33, 30 November 2009 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 3 August 2009

Osaze Peter Odemwingie, (born July 15, 1981 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Soviet Union), is a Nigerian-Russian^[1] football player born to a Russian mother and a Nigerian father. His name, Osaze, means "God chooses (for you)".^[2] He played as a striker in France for Ligue 1 side OSC Lille, but recently after much speculation moved to Russian Premier League side Lokomotiv[1].

[edit] Career

[edit] Club

Raised in Russia, Odemwingie chose to pledge his allegiances to the national football team of Nigeria, although he was also eligible for Russia. Odemwingie first plied his trade the Belgian club La Louviere and made his mark by helping the club to win the Belgian Cup his first year playing. Scoring 9 goals in 44 appearances got the attention of the Lille managing team and before long he was starting on the squad in the French Ligue 1. Famous for his technique and pace, the Nigerian player is being watched by some of the prestigious European clubs [2]. He had indicated he wanted to stay at Lille and help them fight for the league the next season. Odemwingie had already scored 5 goals for them in the 2008-2009 season^{[citation needed]} and two against AC Milan at the San Siro to take Lille to the UEFA Champions League knockout stages, but the club couldn't resist a €7 million offer from Lokomotiv.

[edit] National team

Odemwingie has 20 caps and 5 goals to his name for Nigeria. His first appearance was in the 2004 African Cup of Nations in which he scored his first and second goal in the 80th and 82nd minute against South Africa. He also played in the 2006 African Cup of Nations were he played in the semi-final losing to Ivory Coast 1-0. He was included to play for Nigeria in the 2008 African Cup of Nations and has also played in recent friendlies versus Switzerland [3]and Sudan [4], both games which Nigeria won.

[edit] Goals for Senior National Team

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
	November 25, 2007	Lagos, Nigeria	Sierra Leone	4-1	Won	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

[edit] Beijing Olympics

He was selected as the only over-aged player of the Nigerian football team at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He scored a goal and assisted one in the entire tournament. Nigeria eventually lost the final to defending champions Argentina.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Eurosport Profile
• News article on Odemwingie's performances
• Small article on interest to Odemwingie
• News article on moving to Russia
• UEFA article reporting on his success in Ligue 1
• Peter Odemwingie profile, detailed club and national team statistics, honours (palmares) and timeline
• Peter Odemwingie French league stats at lfp.fr (French)

Nigeria Squads v • d • e Nigeria squad – 2004 Africa Cup of Nations Third Place 1 Enyeama • 2 Yobo • 3 Babayaro • 4 Kanu • 5 Okoronkwo • 6 Enakarhire • 7 Utaka • 8 Yakubu • 9 Agali • 10 Okocha • 11 Lawal • 12 Etafia • 13 Ikedia • 14 Olofinjana • 15 Abbey • 16 Udeze • 17 Aghahowa • 18 Orjinta • 19 Ekong • 20 Odemwingie • 21 Ekwueme • 22 Ejide • Coach: Chukwu v • d • e Nigeria squad – 2006 Africa Cup of Nations 1 Enyeama • 2 Yobo • 3 Taiwo • 4 Kanu • 5 Odiah • 6 Enakarhire • 7 Utaka • 8 Mikel • 9 Martins • 10 Okocha • 11 Lawal • 12 Ejide • 13 Yussuf • 14 Obinna • 15 Obiefule • 16 Oruma • 17 Aghahowa • 18 Obodo • 19 Makinwa • 20 Odemwingie • 21 Nwaneri • 22 Kaita • 23 Aiyenugba • Coach: Eguavoen v • d • e Nigeria squad – 2008 Summer Olympics Silver Medalists 1 Vanzekin • 2 C. Okonkwo • 3 - • 4 Apam • 5 Adeleye • 6 James • 7 Obasi • 8 Kaita • 9 Obinna • 10 Promise • 11 S. Okoronkwo • 12 Ajilore • 13 Adefemi • 14 Odemwingie • 15 Ambrose • 16 Anichebe • 17 Ekpo • 18 Ezenwa • 19 Oladapo • Coach: Siasia v • d • e Nigeria squad – 2008 Africa Cup of Nations 1 Enyeama • 2 Yobo • 3 Taiwo • 4 Kanu • 5 Nwaneri • 6 Shittu • 7 Utaka • 8 Yakubu • 9 Martins • 10 Mikel • 11 Odemwingie • 12 Ejide • 13 Afolabi • 14 Olofinjana • 15 Uche • 16 Etuhu • 17 Makinwa • 18 Obinna • 19 Emeghara • 20 Okonkwo • 21 Eromoigbe • 22 Apam • 23 Aiyenugba • Coach: Vogts