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Stephen Makinwa

Personal information
Full name	Stephen Ayodele Makinwa
Date of birth	26 July 1983 (1983-07-26) (age 26)
Place of birth	Lagos, Nigeria
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Lazio
Youth career
1999–2000	FC Ebedei
2000–2001	Reggiana
2000–2001	→ Conegliano (loan) (Amateur)
2001–2002	Como
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2002–2003	Reggiana	29	(6)
2003–2004	Genoa	18	(6)
2003	→ Como (loan)	21	(6)
2004	→ Modena (loan)	17	(1)
2005	Atalanta	17	(6)
2005–2006	Palermo	23	(5)
2006–	Lazio	43	(3)
2008	→ Reggina (loan)	9	(0)
2009	→ Chievo (loan)	9	(1)
National team
2004–2008	Nigeria	14	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of June 2009. † Appearances (Goals).

Stephen Ayodele Makinwa (born 26 July 1983 in Lagos, Nigeria) is a Nigerian football striker, who is currently on loan at Italian Serie A side Chievo. He is owned by Lazio. Makinwa also plays for the Nigerian national team.

[edit] Career

[edit] Early career

Discovered in 2000 by Reggiana while playing for Nigerian local side FC Ebedei alogside his childhood friends and teammates, Ifeanyi Emeghara and Obafemi Martins, Makinwa started his Italian football experience moving on loan to Serie D team Conegliano.

In 2001 he moved to Serie B team Como squad, as Como bought 50% of the rights to the player, however, Makinwa did not play any games for the team.

In 2002 he was back to Reggiana, in Serie C1, but the following season he was again in Como, but now as a regular. Como bought the remainder of the 50% ownership rights from Reggiana and sold him to Genoa in 2003. In January 2004 Makinwa was loaned to Modena and made his debut in Serie A, and in January 2005 sold to Atalanta in joint-ownership bid.

During the 2005 summer market, Makinwa joined Palermo in a €7.5m bid. Makinwa only remained at Palermo for a season, however he showed enough promise to suggest that he could develop into a quality Serie A player, scoring 5 goals in 23 league matches as Palermo qualified for Europe.

[edit] Lazio

He then went to S.S. Lazio in summer 2006, on a co-ownership deal for €3.3m, being reunited with Delio Rossi, his former coach at Atalanta. In summer 2007, he was fully contracted by Lazio, following a blind auction between the biancocelesti and Palermo.

In 2007-08, Makinwa got his first experience of the UEFA Champions League, failing to score as Lazio crashed out in the group stages. Following six months of unconvincing performances, Lazio sent him on loan to relegation battlers Reggina, but he still did not find the net, ending the season without a goal to his name.

He began the 2008-09 season as a fringe player at Lazio; making just four substitute appearances.

On 22 January 2009, it was announced that Makinwa had signed for Chievo until the end of the 2008-09 season. The deal is a loan and Chievo may make the move permanent.^[1]

[edit] International career

Makinwa plays for the Nigerian national team, having won 14 caps since making his debut in 2004.

Makinwa played for Nigeria in the 2006 African Cup of Nations when they finished third. Two years on, he played in the side which again failed to win, losing at the 2008 African Cup of Nations to Ghana.

Both Makinwa and his national team mate Obafemi Martins, are known for celebrating goals by making several consecutive somersaults.

[edit] Trivia

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (July 2009)

His name, Ayodele, means "Joy has come home".^[2]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• nigerianplayers.com
• Stephen Makinwa FIFA competition record
• Stephen Makinwa at National-Football-Teams.com
• http://www.tuttocalciatori.net/Makinwa_Stephen_Ayodele
• http://www.worldfootball.net/spieler_profil/ayodele-makinwa/

Nigeria Squads 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 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