Obinna Nwaneri

Obinna Nwaneri

Personal information
Full name	Obinna Nwaneri
Date of birth	March 18, 1982 (1982-03-18) (age 29)
Place of birth	Lagos, Nigeria
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Centre back
Youth career
	Julius Berger
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2000–2002	Julius Berger	6	(1)
2003–2004	Enyimba	?	(?)
2004–2007	Espérance	43	(3)
2007–2010	FC Sion	72	(2)
2010–2011	Kazma	21	(3)
National team‡
2005–	Nigeria	33	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13 May 2009. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of February 25, 2010

Obinna Nwaneri (born March 18, 1982 in Lagos, Nigeria) is a football defender from Nigeria. His name, Obinna, means "Father´s heart" in Igbo.^[1] He is described as mobile central defender with pace, control and timing. A natural leader, which had earned him the captain armband in Enyimba and FC Sion respectively. His star has steadily continued to rise, first with top Nigerian side, Julius Berger, then with African Champions Enyimba, where he won the CAF champions league and then he signed with Swiss club FC Sion during the 2007 January transfer window, a club he later captained before leaving last summer.

Career breakdown

• 2000: Broke into a talented Julius Berger side that had an amazing turnaround season, going from barely escaping relegation the season before, to annexing the Nigerian Pepsi League crown.

• 2001: Had a standout season with the 'Bridge Boys', proving to be one of the League's best defenders. Berger, unfortunately, failed to retain their League title and were knocked out of the African Champions Cup.

• 2002: Won the Nigerian Cup with Julius Berger, after defeating Yobe Stars 3-0 in the final.

• 2003: Moved to League Champions Enyimba, forming a dream partnership at the back with Romanus Orjinta. Had a standout season in an historic season for Enyimba, as they won the Nigerian League for the 3rd year running and became the first Nigerian club to win the continents' most prized club trophy - The African Champions Cup.

• 2004: Captained Enyimba as they successfully defended their African Champions League crown, by defeating Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia with a 5-3 penalty victory. Scored the vital fifth penalty that secured the win. However, this time around, Enyimba would not win Nigerian League. Agreed personal terms with South African side Orlando Pirates in July, but the deal fell through as the clubs could not agree on a fee.

• 2004-05: Moved to Tunisian powerhouse Espérance, in early 2005, where he has had an outstanding season.

• 2005-06: Selected for the Nigerian national football team for the 2006 African Cup of Nations tournament.

• 2006-07: Signed for Swiss Super League team FC Sion until June 2010.

A team he captained until he left last summer.

• 2010: After a proposed loan spell in the United Arab Emirati football club Al Dhafra did not fell through Obinna Joined Kuwaiti club Kazma.

• 2011: Kazma Obinna finished his contract with Kazma and has since been linked with a host of European clubs.

References

1. ^ Meaning of Obinna in Nigerian.name

External links

• FC Sion profile
• Obinna Nwaneri at National-Football-Teams.com

Persondata
Name	Nwaneri, Obinna
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1982-03-18
Place of birth	Lagos, Nigeria
Date of death
Place of death