- Michael Obiku
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Michael Obiku Personal information Full name Michael Edirin Obiku Date of birth 24 September 1968 Place of birth Warri, Nigeria Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) Playing position Striker Club information Current club Sparta Rotterdam (Youth coach) Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1986–1987 Flash Flamingoes 29 (13) 1987–1989 Iwuanyanwu Nationale 40 (28) 1989–1992 Anorthosis Famagusta 69 (33) 1992–1996 Feyenoord 71 (23) 1994 → Helsingborg (loan) 14 (9) 1996–1997 Mallorca 26 (14) 1997–1998 Avispa Fukuoka 25 (9) 1998–1999 AZ 13 (2) 1999–2000 Anorthosis Famagusta 21 (14) 2000–2001 APOEL 0 (0) Total 308 (145) National team 1988–1993 Nigeria 4 (1) 1988 Nigeria Olympic 2 (0) Teams managed 2007– Sparta Rotterdam (youth) * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).Michael Edirin Obiku (born 24 September 1968 in Warri) is a retired Nigerian football striker. He is assistant coach at Sparta Rotterdam's youth team.
Contents
Club career
Obiku started his career with Flash Flamingoes in his native Nigeria and earned a move to highfliers Iwuanyanwu Nationale. From there, he moved on to become very successful in Cyprus. Then Feyenoord Rotterdam chairman Jorien van den Herik, who had a house on Cyprus, lured him to Rotterdam. On club level he won the Dutch Eredivisie in 1993 and the KNVB Cup in 1994, 1995 and 1996 with Feyenoord. He later became the first Nigerian to play in the J. League.In 1999–2000 he returned to Cyprus and to his favourite team Anorthosis Famagusta FC. He scored 13 goals and helped his club to win the Championship for the 4th time in a row in Cyprus. After so many years Obiku is still one of the legends of Anorthosis Famagusta FC and he is considered one of the all time best players who ever played not only for the club but also in Cyprus. The fans never forgot his first spell in the club in 1989–1992 scoring 36 goals and gave him the nick "Black Diamond".
Memorable moments
When Obiku scored for Feyenoord, he usually took off his shirt, threw it on the ground and danced around it.
During a match against Willem II he jumped in the fences surrounding the pitch and injured his hands while grabbing the barbed wire. He did play on but had to have treatment on his bleeding hands first.
On March 8, 1995 he won over the Rotterdam supporters when he scored the golden goal in the KNVB Cup quarter-finals against eternal rivals Ajax Amsterdam. Ajax won the Champions League that season but were finished off by Obiku thanks to a marvellous solo effort.
International career
He represented the Nigerian national team at the 1988 African Cup of Nations,[1] played in two World Cup qualifying matches[2] and played 12 minutes at the 1988 Summer Olympics.[3] He played his final international match in April 1993 against Ethiopia.
Club career statistics
Club performance League Cup League Cup Total Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Nigeria League Nigerian FA Cup League Cup Total 1986 Flash Flamingoes Premier League 15 6 15 6 1987 14 7 14 7 1988 Iwuanyanwu Nationale Premier League 5 4 5 4 Portugal League Taça de Portugal Taça da Liga Total 1988/89 Marítimo Portuguese Liga 0 0 0 0 Cyprus League Cypriot Cup League Cup Total 1989/90 Anorthosis Famagusta First Division 24 6 24 6 1990/91 21 11 21 11 1991/92 24 16 24 16 Netherlands League KNVB Cup League Cup Total 1992/93 Feyenoord Eredivisie 21 7 21 7 1993/94 16 3 16 3 Sweden League Svenska Cupen League Cup Total 1994 Helsingborg Allsvenskan 14 9 14 9 Netherlands League KNVB Cup League Cup Total 1994/95 Feyenoord Eredivisie 13 6 13 6 1995/96 18 7 18 7 1996/97 3 0 3 0 Spain League Copa del Rey Copa de la Liga Total 1996/97 Mallorca Segunda División 26 14 26 14 Japan League Emperor's Cup J. League Cup Total 1997 Avispa Fukuoka J. League 1 15 7 3 1 0 0 18 8 1998 10 2 0 0 4 2 14 4 Netherlands League KNVB Cup League Cup Total 1998/99 AZ Alkmaar Eredivisie 13 2 13 2 Cyprus League Cypriot Cup League Cup Total 1999/00 Anorthosis Famagusta First Division 21 14 21 14 Country Nigeria 34 17 34 17 Portugal 0 0 0 0 Cyprus 90 47 90 47 Netherlands 84 25 84 25 Sweden 14 9 14 9 Spain 26 14 26 14 Japan 25 9 3 1 4 2 32 12 Total 273 121 3 1 4 2 280 124 National team statistics
Nigeria national team Year Apps Goals 1988 1989 1990 0 0 1991 0 0 1992 0 0 1993 1 0 Total External links
- Nigerian Players.com
- national-football-teams
- Michael Obiku (Seguimiento Bermellón) (Spanish)
- Real Mallorca bio (Spanish)
References
- ^ 1988 MATCHES AFRICA - RSSSF
- ^ FIFA World Cup Qualifiers - FIFA
- ^ Men's Olympic Football Tournament - FIFA
Categories:- 1968 births
- Living people
- Nigerian footballers
- Nigeria international footballers
- Footballers at the 1988 Summer Olympics
- Olympic footballers of Nigeria
- 1988 African Cup of Nations players
- Anorthosis Famagusta players
- Feyenoord players
- Helsingborgs IF players
- RCD Mallorca footballers
- Avispa Fukuoka players
- AZ Alkmaar players
- APOEL F.C. players
- Eredivisie players
- La Liga footballers
- J. League Division 1 players
- Nigerian expatriate footballers
- Nigerian expatriates in Cyprus
- Iwuanyanwu Nationale players
- Expatriate footballers in Cyprus
- Nigerian expatriates in Japan
- Expatriate footballers in Japan
- Nigerian expatriates in Spain
- Expatriate footballers in Spain
- Nigerian expatriates in the Netherlands
- People from Warri
- Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands
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