Obinna Nwaneri

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Personal information
Nwaneri Obinna
Full name	Obinna Nwaneri
Date of birth	March 18, 1982 (1982-03-18) (age 26)
Place of birth	Lagos, Nigeria
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	Sion
Number	3
Youth clubs
	Julius Berger
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2000-2002 2003-2004 2004-2007 2007-	Julius Berger Enyimba Espérance FC Sion	06 (1) ? (?) ? (0) 17 (0)
National team²
2005-	Nigeria	6 (1)
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:48, 1 April 2007 (UTC). ² National team caps and goals correct as of February 15, 2006. * Appearances (Goals)

Obinna Nwaneri born March 19, 1982 in Lagos, Nigeria) is a football defender from Nigeria. His name, Obinna, means "Father´s heart".^[1] He is described as mobile central defender with pace, control and timing. His star has steadily continued to rise, first with top Nigerian side, Julius Berger, then with African Champions Enyimba, and now with the Super Eagles. He has recently signed with Swiss club FC Sion during the 2007 January transfer window.

[edit] 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 couldn't 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.

2008- Turkish Giants Trabzonspor are intrested of signing Obinna Nwaneri. Trabzonspor Is fast on transfers so they have high chance of signing him.

2008- English Football League Championship side Ipswich Town have been linked with Nwaneri. After manager Jim Magilton hinted that he is close to signing a Centre-Back from a European Club.