Victor Nsofor Obinna
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Victor Obinna | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Victor Obinna Nsofor | |
| Date of birth | March 25, 1987 | |
| Place of birth | Jos, Nigeria | |
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 111⁄2 in) | |
| Playing position | Striker | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Chievo | |
| Number | 20 | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2003 2004 2005 2005- |
Plateau United Kwara United Enyimba Chievo |
? (?) ? (?) ? (?) 49 (12) |
| National team2 | ||
 Nigeria |
3 (1) | |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Victor Nsofor Obinna (born 25 March 1987 in Jos, Nigeria) is a Nigerian footballer who plays as a striker for A.C. Chievo Verona in Italy. He is best known for his pace.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
His name, Obinna, means "Father´s heart".[1] He currently plays for Chievo in Italy's Serie B, having played regularly in Serie A with the club until their relegation in 2007. Obinna is a talented young prospect but, as can be expected for his age, is inconsistent in front of goal. He made his full international debut for Nigeria at the 2006 African Cup of Nations, scoring once in three appearances as his side were eliminated in the semifinals.
[edit] Career
[edit] Enyimba
Obinna, who has played for Nigerian clubs Plateau United and Kwara United, signed for African champions Enyimba in 2005. In the same year, he went on trials with European clubs Inter Milan, Perugia and Juventus before signing with Brazilian club Internacional Porto Alegre, but international clearance problems meant that the transfer wasn't finalized[2]. He rejoined Enyimba to take part in their domestic league campaign and CAF Champions League defense. Obinna would later be suspended for the first part of the 2006-07 Serie A season for having signed a contract with both Internacional and Chievo in 2005[3].
[edit] Chievo Verona
Obinna was signed by Chievo on a three-year contract [2] later in the year, with Inter funding part of the player purchase in exchange for co-ownership of Obinna[4]. In his first season with Chievo, Obinna scored 6 goals in 26 games, including a goal on his Serie A debut against Parma in a 1-0 win. In the first months of the 2006 season, Obinna was suspended for having signed a contract with both Internacional and Chievo in 2005[3]. Chievo were relegated at the end of the 2006-07 season, casting some doubt over Obinna's future[3], however, as of August 24th, 2007, the club has maintained that Obinna will remain to help them earn promotion back to Serie A.
[edit] Car Accident
October 4th, Obinna was involved in a car accident on his way home from training in which he swerved away from a reckless vehicle that tried to overtake him around a bend. The car flipped several times and was totally destroyed.
"When I saw the car I thought the worst as it had been completely destroyed." - Dr. Corradini
He lost consciousness and was taken to hospital. Fortunately he managed to get away with only a few bruises and a temporary state of shock. Teammate Aleandro Rosi whom was only a few vehicles behind Obinna described his survival as a "miracle". Freakishly enough the accident occurred approximately 100 metres away from where Jason Mayélé was killed in a car accident in 2002.
[edit] Ownership
Inter Milan helped to finance Obinna's move from Enyimba to Chievo in 2005 in exchange for part-ownership of the player; since joining Chievo, his contract has been extended to a five-year deal[3]. Inter are reported to own the player's registration and have been loaning him Chievo in "a complex agreement which is close to a co-ownership deal"[3].
[edit] National Team
Obinna participated in the Nigerian under-20 squad's run to the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship final in the Netherlands, losing to Argentina. Obinna made the step up to the "Super Eagles" senior squad at the 2006 African Cup of Nations, scoring one of the goals of the tournament before his side's semifinal elimination.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
|
|||||
