| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Benedict Akwuegbu | ||
| Date of birth | 3 November 1974 | ||
| Place of birth | Lagos, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Basingstoke Town | ||
| Number | 34 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1989–1991 | Jos Highlanders | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1991–1992 | RC Lens | ||
| 1992–1993 | K.S.C. Eendracht Aalst | 25 | (9) |
| 1994–1996 | Harelbeke | 49 | (17) |
| 1996–1997 | Waregem | 20 | (10) |
| 1997–1998 | Tienen | 27 | (9) |
| 1998–2002 | Grazer AK | 100 | (31) |
| 2002 | Shenyang Ginde (loan) | 18 | (5) |
| 2002–2004 | Grazer AK | 20 | (8) |
| 2004 | Karnten | 14 | (7) |
| 2004–2005 | St. Gallen | 12 | (4) |
| 2005–2006 | Wacker Innsbruck | 11 | (0) |
| 2006 | Siegen | 10 | (1) |
| 2006 | Tianjin (loan) | 8 | (4) |
| 2006–2007 | Panserraikos | 10 | (3) |
| 2007 | Qingdao | 21 | (6) |
| 2008 | Beijing Hongdeng | 7 | (2) |
| 2009–2010 | Basingstoke Town | 4 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2000–2005 | Nigeria | 30 | (8) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11:26, 30 April 2008 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Benedict Akwuegbu (born 3 November 1974) is a Nigerian football striker.
He played for Nigeria national football team and was a 2002 FIFA World Cup participant.
Contents |
Akwuegbu started his career at the age of 15 in Nigeria before moving to French outfit RC Lens at the age of 17.[1] Then he spent five years in Belgium with KRC Harelbeke, KSV Waregem, KVK Tienen. Austrian side Grazer AK signed him after the 1998 season.
Grazer AK won the Austrian Cup and Austrian Supercup in 2000 and 2002 and the league title in 2004 with his good performance. He won the Best Forieign Player and nicknamed "Austrian Bomber" by the press.[2] He played in 20 European games as he scored 12 including some remarkable goals. He attracted several German Bundesliga clubs like Hamburg SV and FC Kaiserslautern.[3] However Grazer AK refused the offer from Kaiserslautern.
In April 2007, Akwuegbu was signed by Qingdao Jonoon. He scored his first goal for Qingdao on 13 May 2007, an 84 minute equalizer in 3-2 lose away at shanghai schenhua. In a 2-1 home win against Henan Jianye on 19 May 2007. Qingdao Jonoon went on to win the match with a spectacular strike from Benedict Akwuegbu. In 39 minute, earning him a man of the match award. Qingdao Janoon boss, Yin Tiesheng spoke very high about him and his performance in the media, Akwuegbu become one of the most consistent player in Qingdao squad. He was a vital part in Qingdao attack throughout the campaign and notched 6 goals in 20 games. Akwuegbu had an excellent season and was favorite of Qingdao Janoon fans. Many Qingdao fans acknowledge Akwuegbu's excellent skills and strong on the ball. He was legendary in the city of Qingdao.
Benedict then joined Basingstoke Town in the Conference South. He scored his first goal for the Dragons against Dorchester Town on April 5, 2010. He was released at the end of the season.
Akwuegbu was selected to U-16 World Cup Final squad in 1989 hosted by Scotland.[4] However he never had the chance to play as sitting on the bench in all four matches without substitution. Nigeria was beaten by eventual winner Saudi Arabia at the quarter-final stage. He also played for the U-20 national side.[2]
In 2000, his success in Austria made him joining the Africa Cup of Nations tournament which he played his first international game against Tunisia. With his progress in the team he was involved in the 2002 World Cup Qualifier and scoring two goals in the process, His performance made him selected to the 2002 World Cup Final squad. He played the only World Cup game against England.
|
|
|||||||
|
|
|||||||