Isaac Okoronkwo

Football player infobox
playername = Isaac Okoronkwo
fullname =
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1978|5|1
cityofbirth = Nbene
countryofbirth = Nigeria
height = height|meter=1.82
currentclub = FC Moscow
position = Defender
clubnumber = 23
youthyears =
youthclubs = FC Lagos
Julius Berger
years = 1994
1995
1996–1997
1997–1998
1998
1998–2000
2000–2003 2003–2004
2004–2006
2006–
clubs = Enyimba
Iwuanyanwu Nationale
Julius Berger
Rayispor
Iwuanyanwu Nationale
Sheriff Tiraspol Shakhtar Donetsk
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Alania Vladikavkaz
FC Moscow
caps(goals) =
038 0(1) 053 0(0)
007 0(0)
020 0(0)
044 0(2)
nationalyears = 2001–
nationalteam = Nigeria
nationalcaps(goals) = 025 0(1)
pcupdate = March 26 2008
ntupdate = 11 September 2007

Isaac Okoronkwo (born May 1, 1978 in Nbene, Nigeria) is a professional football player who currently plays as a defender for FC Moscow in Russia.

Okoronkwo started his career at FC Lagos before moving to the Nigerian topclub Julius Berger FC. His first club outside Nigeria was a six month spell at Rayispor in Qatar, but the club could not afford to keep him before this period and he returned home to Iwuanyanwu Nationale. He spent one season there before again heading abroad with Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldova for two seasons. In Summer 2000, he signed to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Ukraine.

With Shakhtar he played in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup, and won the Ukrainian Cup in 2001 and the league title in 2002. After his contract expired in 2003, several FA Premier League and German Bundesliga clubs like Schalke 04 and Borussia Mönchengladbach tried to sign him. He eventually signed a one-year deal with newly-promoted Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Okoronkwo's time in England didn't prove a success though as he was unable to break into the team until the closing months of the season, by which time the club faced almost certain relegation from the top flight. After they suffered the drop, Okoronkwo was released and eventually came to play in Russia with Alania Vladikavkaz. However, Alania folded under financial problems in 2005 and he signed with FC Moscow in 2006, soon becoming an important member of the starting line-up at his new club. The same season he was voted player of the season, alongside Hector Bracamonte.

Okoronkwo played 25 games for the Nigeria national team, the "Super Eagles" since making his debut on January 13, 2001 against Zambia. He played in the 2002 and 2004 African Cup of Nations (finishing 3rd both times) and in the Olympics Games in 2000. He also played in every minute of Nigeria's 2002 World Cup campaign, where they failed to progress beyond the group stage.

External links

* [http://www.icons.com/okoronkwo/ Personal website at Icons.com]
* [http://www.nigerianplayers.com/player.asp?pID=112 Profile at Nigerian Players.com]