| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kalu Uche | ||
| Date of birth | 15 November 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Aba, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Forward / Midfielder[1] | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Neuchâtel Xamax | ||
| Number | 16 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1998 | Enyimba | ||
| 1999–2000 | Iwuanyanwu Nationale | ||
| 2000–2001 | Espanyol B | ||
| 2001–2005 | Wisła Kraków | 54 | (10) |
| 2004–2005 | → Bordeaux (loan) | 24 | (1) |
| 2005–2011 | Almería | 172 | (39) |
| 2011– | Neuchâtel Xamax | 12 | (5) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2003– | Nigeria | 34 | (5) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21 November 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Kalu Uche (born 15 November 1982 in Aba) is a Nigerian footballer who plays for Neuchâtel Xamax in Switzerland.
Known for his acrobatic goal celebrations, he can operate on occasion as an attacking midfielder or a second striker, and spent most of his professional career in Spain.
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Uche's career began in Nigeria with Enyimba International and Iwuanyanwu Nationale. In 2000–01 season, he joined RCD Espanyol B in Spain, failing to receive any first-team opportunities.
Uche then transferred to Wisła Kraków, playing there until 2005 (winning the Polish League three times and Polish Cup twice), except for the 2004–05 season when he represented FC Girondins de Bordeaux, on loan.[2]
In 2005–06, Uche moved to UD Almería, and was instrumental in helping the Andalusia outfit to its first ever La Liga promotion in his second year, netting eight league goals (with three in the last five matches). He made his first division debut on 26 August 2007, coming from the bench in a 3–0 win at Deportivo de La Coruña.
On 11 January 2009, profiting from the absence of first-choice Álvaro Negredo, Uche netted both goals in a 2–2 draw at Espanyol.[3] On 5 December, he scored the side's second goal at Real Madrid for the 2–1, but the hosts eventually rallied back to 4–2.[4]
In the following summer, Negredo was sold to Sevilla FC (via Real Madrid), and Uche became Almería's most important offensive reference. He finished 2009–10 with a career-best nine goals, namely a brace on 4 May 2010 against Villarreal CF (4–2 home win), which all but certified the club's permanence in the top level for another year.[5]
Uche spent the first month of the 2010–11 season on the sidelines, due to injury. In the second match upon his return, on 26 September 2010, he scored twice at Deportivo (2–0), for Almería's first win of the campaign,[6] going on to net seven in 32 games as the team was finally relegated after a four-year stay.
On 4 August 2011, Uche joined Swiss Super League side Neuchâtel Xamax on a two-year deal.[7]
Uche made his debut for the Nigeria national football team on 21 June 2003, in an African Nations Cup qualifier against Angola, scoring in the process.[8]
He also represented the nation at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, going scoreless for the eventual third-placed team. After a solid club season, Uche was picked for that year's FIFA World Cup, in South Africa: on 17 June, against Greece, he opened the score from a free kick, but the Africans soon were reduced to ten men, and lost 1–2.[9] In the third and last game, he also scored the opener, eventually earning Nigeria's only point in the competition, in a 2–2 draw against South Korea.[10]
Update : 21 November 2011
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 21 June 2003 | Benin City, Nigeria | Angola |
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2004 African Nations Cup qualifying |
| 2. | 27 May 2008 | Graz, Austria | Austria |
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Friendly |
| 3. | 17 June 2010 | Bloemfontein, South Africa | Greece |
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2010 World Cup |
| 4. | 22 June 2010 | Durban, South Africa | South Korea |
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2010 World Cup |
| 5. | 15 November 2011 | Kaduna, Nigeria | Zambia |
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Friendly |
Uche's younger brother, Ikechukwu Uche, is also a footballer. Also a forward, he too spent most of his senior career in Spain (they are not related to two other players, Uche Okechukwu and Ikechukwu Kalu).
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