David Odonkor

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David Odonkor (born February 21, 1984 in Bünde, Germany), born to a German mother and Ghanaian father, is a young German international footballer playing for La Liga side Real Betis. He most often plays as a side midfielder or winger, usually on the right side of the pitch. He is also capable of playing as a striker. Although he is not known for his technical abilities, he makes up for this with his astonishing speed and acceleration. He married Suzan Barka on December 29, 2006 in Steinhagen, Germany.

[edit] International success

[edit] European U-16 Championship

He was involved in both the 2000 and 2001 European U-16 Championships. However he did not score in 2000 but managed one goal in an 8-2 victory over Romania in 2001. Germany made the quarter-finals only to lose on penalties on both occasions, losing to Portugal in 2000 and England in 2001.

[edit] World Cup 2006

In 2006 he became a surprise member of the Germany national football team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany despite never having been capped previously. He had however made a number of promising appearances in various German youth sides. On May 30, 2006, Odonkor made his debut for the Germany in a friendly match against Japan. He appeared as a substitute in the first two group games of the World Cup. Against Poland, Odonkor displayed an excellent performance and assisted Oliver Neuville's deciding goal in stoppage time of the second half. He made two additional appearances as a substitute, in the quarter-final match against Argentina and in the semi-final match against Italy.

[edit] European Chamionship 2008

David Odonkor was called up to Euro 2008 by Joachim Löw, now a more well-known player than he was before the 2006 World Cup, he was switched from the number 22 to the number 19.

[edit] Real Betis

Odonkor was one of the main players in the world cup and impressed so much that he signed for Real Betis for an undisclosed fee. His first season in La Liga was nothing short of a disaster, appearing in only 13 league games due to a serious knee injury. His second season began promisingly, but another knee injury forced him out for long periods. On his return he forced his way back into the side and scored his first goal for Betis against UD Almería on May 4, 2008.

[edit] External links

• (Spanish) Official website of Real Betis Balompié S.A.D.
• (German) Official website of David Odonkor
• (German) Career Statistics at Fussballdaten.de

v • d • e Germany squad - 2006 FIFA World Cup Third Place 1 Lehmann • 2 Jansen • 3 Friedrich • 4 Huth • 5 Kehl • 6 Nowotny • 7 Schweinsteiger • 8 Frings • 9 Hanke • 10 Neuville • 11 Klose • 12 Kahn • 13 Ballack • 14 Asamoah • 15 Hitzlsperger • 16 Lahm • 17 Mertesacker • 18 Borowski • 19 Schneider • 20 Podolski • 21 Metzelder • 22 Odonkor • 23 Hildebrand • Coach: Klinsmann

v • d • e Germany squad - Euro 2008 1 Lehmann • 2 Jansen • 3 Friedrich • 4 Fritz • 5 Westermann • 6 Rolfes • 7 Schweinsteiger • 8 Frings • 9 Gómez • 10 Neuville • 11 Klose • 12 Enke • 13 Ballack • 14 Trochowski • 15 Hitzlsperger • 16 Lahm • 17 Mertesacker • 18 Borowski • 19 Odonkor • 20 Podolski • 21 Metzelder • 22 Kurányi • 23 Adler • Coach: Löw