Nwankwo Kanu

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kanu
Personal information
Full name Nwankwo Christian Kanu
Date of birth 1 August 1976 (1976-08-01) (age 31)
Place of birth    Owerri, Nigeria
Height 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current club Portsmouth
Number 27
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1991–1992
1992–1993
1993–1996
1996–1999
1999–2004
2004–2006
2006–		 Fed Works
Iwuanyanwu Nationale
Ajax
Internazionale
Arsenal
West Bromwich Albion
Portsmouth		 035 (20)
025 (15)
054 (25)
011 0(1)
119 (30)
053 0(7)
061 (14)   
National team2
1994– Nigeria 072 (13)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 28 May 2008 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 8 June 2008 (UTC).
* Appearances (Goals)
Olympic medal record
Competitor for Flag of Nigeria Nigeria
Men's Football
Gold 1996 Atlanta Team Competition

Nwankwo Kanu (born 1 August 1976 in Owerri, Nigeria), usually known simply as Kanu, is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for the Nigerian national team and for English club Portsmouth. His Igbo name, Nwankwo, means "Babyboy born on Know market day".[1] He is the most highly-decorated African footballer in footballing history, having won a UEFA Champions League medal, a UEFA Cup medal, three F.A. Cup Winners Medals and two African Player of the Year awards amongst others. He is the only current Premiership player to have won the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, Premiership, FA Cup and an Olympic Gold Medal.

His younger brother, Christopher Kanu, is also a professional footballer.

Contents

[edit] Career

[edit] Early career

Kanu began his career, aged fifteen, at First Division club Federation Works before moving to Iwuanyanwu Nationale in 1992. After a notable performance at the U-17 World Championships he was signed by Ajax Amsterdam in 1993 for €207,047. He made his Ajax debut in 1994 and went on to play 54 times for the Dutch side, scoring 25 goals; Kanu came on as a sub in Ajax's 1995 Champions League final win over AC Milan. In 1996, Ajax sold him to Serie A side Internazionale for around $4.7 million; that summer he captained the Nigerian team that won gold at the Olympics, famously scoring two late goals in the semi-finals against powerhouses Brazil to overturn a 2-3 scoreline into a 4-3 win in extra time. Kanu was also named African Footballer of the Year for that year.

However, soon after returning from the Olympics, Kanu underwent a medical examination at Inter, which revealed a serious heart defect; he underwent surgery in November 1996 to replace an aortic valve and did not return to his club until April 1997. In interviews, Kanu frequently cites his faith as a Christian,[2] and has often mentioned this trying time of his career as an occasion when he prayed to God. Kanu's experience also led to his founding the Kanu Heart Foundation, an organisation that helps predominantly young African children who suffer heart defects. Kanu is known throughout Africa for his philanthropic work.

[edit] Arsenal

In February 1999, after just twelve games and one goal for Inter, Kanu was signed by Arsenal for approximately £4.2 million. His debut for Arsenal, against Sheffield United in the FA Cup, was a highly unusual match. With the score 1-1 and ten minutes to go, the United goalkeeper kicked the ball out of touch so that treatment could be given to an injured player. When the ball was thrown back into play by Ray Parlour, although it was intended for the United 'keeper, Kanu was unaware of the circumstances. Thinking it to be an attacking move, he chased the throw-in down the right wing unchallenged, and centred the ball for Marc Overmars, who promptly scored to make the match 2-1. Immediately after the match Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger offered to right the error and replay the match; in the end, Arsenal won that match 2-1 as well.

Despite the events overshadowing his debut, Kanu's career was quickly revived at Arsenal, especially after the departure of Nicolas Anelka in the summer of 1999. This prompted a new chant amongst Arsenal supporters: "Chim chiminy, chim chiminy, chim-chim chiroo, who needs Anelka when we've got Kanu?" (to the tune of the song from Mary Poppins). Kanu became known for scoring extravagant goals; against Tottenham Hotspur, with his back to goal he lobbed the ball over Luke Young's head, before turning the young defender and scoring. Other memorable goals included a hat-trick against Chelsea to win a derby match 3-2 after being 2-0 down after 75 minutes[3]. Following his amazing performance the headline pun after the game was "Kanu believe it". He was named African Footballer of the Year for the second time in 1999, and in 1999-00 he scored 17 times in 50 matches for the Gunners. He became very popular among the fans for his 2 fingered salute, which started in 2000 against Middlesbrough. The fans often chanted 'Kanuuuuuuuu' (extentuating the syllable 'nu') whenever he scored or announced during matches; some mistook that he was being 'booed' rather than being cheered.

However, Kanu's appearances for Arsenal gradually became less frequent, particularly after the emergence of Thierry Henry as Arsenal's first choice striker, when Kanu was mainly used as a substitute. Despite this, Kanu won the Double with Arsenal in 2002, an FA Cup in 2003 (as an unused sub) and the Premier League title in 2004. In all he played 197 games for Arsenal (nearly half of them as a substitute), scoring 44 goals. In the summer of 2004, after his contract with Arsenal ended, he moved to West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer.

[edit] West Bromwich Albion

West Brom had just been promoted to the Premiership for the second time in the space of two years. Kanu started as a regular for the club, making his debut in a 1-1 draw away at Blackburn Rovers on 14 August, 2004. He scored his first goal for Albion on 18 September, 2004, an 88th-minute equalizer in a 1-1 home draw against Fulham. In a match against Middlesbrough on 14 November, 2004, Kanu was guilty of an incredible miss in injury time, with Albion 2-1 down. Kanu had sent a low cross over the bar from a yard away from the goal line. Manager Bryan Robson was seen in TV footage mouthing the words "How did he miss that?",[citation needed] and Kanu's howler was crowned 'Miss of the Season' by many television stations in the end-of-season reviews.[citation needed] Nevertheless, the 2004-05 season was ultimately a memorable one for West Brom, as they became the first club to avoid relegation from the Premiership after being bottom of the table at Christmas.

One of the most memorable games of the 2005-06 season for Kanu came with the visit of his former club Arsenal to The Hawthorns on 15 October 2005. Philippe Senderos put the visitors ahead in the 17th minute, but Kanu equalised shortly before half time. West Brom went on to win the match 2-1 with a spectacular strike from Darren Carter. It was their first home win over Arsenal since 1973,[4] and the first time that they had come from behind to win a Premiership game.[5] But such highlights were rare for Albion that season, and the club was relegated at the end of 2005-06. Kanu's contract had expired, and he chose not to renew it. In his two years at The Hawthorns he made a total of 58 appearances - 16 of them as a substitute - and scored nine goals.

In the summer of 2006, Kanu played as a guest for Arsenal in Dennis Bergkamp's testimonial game, the first match to be played in Arsenal's new Emirates Stadium. The game was tied 1-1 when Kanu scored the winning goal, making him the third person to score in the stadium. At the end of the match, Kanu joined the rest of the Arsenal side in hoisting the retired Dutchman on their shoulders as fans gave him a standing ovation.

[edit] Portsmouth

Nwankwo Kanu playing for Portsmouth at Fulham in March 2007
Nwankwo Kanu playing for Portsmouth at Fulham in March 2007

Kanu was a free agent following his departure from West Brom, and he signed for Portsmouth F.C. on a one-year deal shortly before the start of the 2006-07 season.[6] Pompey had undergone a revival in the second half of the previous campaign, following the return of Harry Redknapp as manager, avoiding relegation by four points after being in serious danger at the turn of the year. At the start of the 2006-07 season, they were undefeated in their first five games, during which they did not concede a single goal.

Kanu made his debut for Portsmouth as a substitute against Blackburn Rovers on 19 August 2006, the opening day of the 2006-07 Premiership season. He scored twice and missed a penalty, then bagged another brace in his third appearance, a 4-0 win against Middlesbrough; this included a 60-yard sprint followed by an exquisite finish. After scoring goals in the initial matches, Kanu had a goal drought for most of the season, but still finished as the top goalscorer for Pompey. He scored 12 goals that season.

In his second season at Portsmouth, Kanu scored both goals in the FA Cup 1-0 semi-final win against West Bromwich Albion and the 1-0 win in the final against Cardiff City, earning him a Man of The Match award and a third FA Cup winner's medal. These goals also meant he joined the exclusive list of players who have scored at both the old and new Wembley stadiums. In a post match interview Kanu stated his desire to remain at the club, in turn Harry Redknapp suggested a new contract would be offered.

[edit] International career

Kanu has been a member of the Nigerian national team since 1994, making his debut against Sweden in a friendly. He (as of March 2008) has 68 caps and has scored 13 goals for his country. As well as winning the Olympics gold in the football event at Atlanta (1996), Kanu participated in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. Earlier on at the start of his career, Kanu was instrumental in Nigeria's overall success at the FIFA U-17 tournament in Japan (1993) and in their subsequent 2-1 victory over Ghana in the final.

[edit] Career statistics

Club Performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Nigeria League Nigerian FA Cup League Cup Africa Total
1991-92 Fed Works 30 9
1992-93 Heartland Premier League 30 6
Netherlands League KNVB Cup League Cup Europe Total
1993-94 Ajax Eredivisie 6 2
1994-95 18 10
1995-96 30 13
Italy League Coppa Italia League Cup Europe Total
1996-97 Internazionale Milano Serie A 0 0
1997-98 11 1
1998-99 1 0
England League FA Cup Football League Cup Europe Total
1998-99 Arsenal Premier League 12 6
1999-00 31 13
2000-01 27 3
2001-02 23 3
2002-03 16 5
2003-04 10 1
2004-05 West Bromwich Albion Premier League 28 2
2005-06 25 5
2006-07 Portsmouth Premier League 36 10
2007-08 25 4
Total Nigeria 60 15
Netherlands 54 25
Italy 12 1
England 233 52
Career Total 359 93

[edit] Honours

[edit] Country

  • FIFA World Cup
    • Appearances: 1998(Second Round), 2002(First Round)
  • African Cup of Nations
    • Appearances: 2000(Silver Medal), 2002(Bronze Medal), 2004(Bronze Medal), 2006(Bronze Medal), 2008(Quarter Finalist)

[edit] Club

[edit] Awards

[edit] References

  1. ^ Meaning of Nwankwo in Nigerian.name
  2. ^ Wilson, Jeremy. "Portsmouth thrive on power of prayer and goals from born-again Kanu", The Guardian, 2006-10-30. Retrieved on 2008-03-11. 
  3. ^ Kanu hat-trick sinks Chelsea. BBC (1999-10-23).
  4. ^ Rowbottom, Mike (2005-10-17), “Injury-ravaged Arsenal losing sight of leaders”, The Independent 
  5. ^ "WBA vs Arsenal", Official Albion website, 2005-10-15. Retrieved on 2007-08-10. 
  6. ^ "Portsmouth complete Kanu signing", BBC Sport, 2006-08-17. Retrieved on 2007-08-10. 

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Nigeria squad - 1998 FIFA World Cup
1 Rufai • 2 Oparaku • 3 Babayaro • 4 Kanu • 5 Uche • 6 West • 7 Finidi • 8 Adepoju • 9 Yekini • 10 Okocha • 11 Lawal • 12 W. Okpara • 13 Babangida • 14 Amokachi • 15 Oliseh • 16 Okafor • 17 Eguavoen • 18 Oruma • 19 Iroha • 20 Ikpeba • 21 G. Okpara • 22 Baruwa • Coach: Milutinović
 Flag of Nigeria
v • d • e
Nigeria squad - 2002 FIFA World Cup
1 Shorunmu • 2 Yobo • 3 Babayaro • 4 Kanu • 5 Okoronkwo • 6 West • 7 Ikedia • 8 Adepoju • 9 Ogbeche • 10 Okocha • 11 Lawal • 12 Ejide • 13 Afolabi • 14 Udeze • 15 Justice • 16 Sodje • 17 Aghahowa • 18 Akwuegbu • 19 Ejiofor • 20 Obiorah • 21 Utaka • 22 Enyeama • 23 Opabunmi • Coach: Onigbinde
 Flag of Nigeria
v • d • e
Portsmouth F.C. – current squad

1 James • 2 Primus • 3 Aubey • 4 Lauren • 5 Johnson • 6 Diarra • 7 Hreiðarsson • 8 Bouba Diop • 9 Baroš • 10 Nugent • 11 Muntari • 13 Begovic • 14 Defoe • 15 Distin • 16 Pamarot • 17 Utaka • 18 Mvuemba • 19 Kranjčar • 20 Cranie • 21 Ashdown • 22 Hughes • 23 Campbell • 24 Duffy • 27 Kanu • 28 Davis • 30 Pedro Mendes • 34 Songo'o • 35 Wilson • Manager: Redknapp
Awards
Preceded by
Flag of Liberia George Weah		 African Footballer of the Year
1996		 Succeeded by
Flag of Nigeria Victor Ikpeba
Preceded by
Flag of Morocco Mustapha Hadji		 African Footballer of the Year
1999		 Succeeded by
Flag of Cameroon Patrick Mboma
Preceded by
Jay-Jay Okocha		 Nigeria Captain
2006-present		 Succeeded by
incumbent