Odion Ighalo

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Odion Ighalo
Personal information
Full nameOdion Jude Ighalo
Date of birth (1989-06-16) 16 June 1989
Place of birthLagos, Nigeria
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing positionStriker
Club information
Current clubGranada (on loan from Udinese)
Number7
Youth career
2000–2005Prime
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2005–2006Prime5(0)
2006–2007Julius Berger10(5)
2007–2008Lyn20(9)
2008–Udinese5(1)
2009–2010→ Granada (loan)28(17)
2010→ Cesena (loan)3(0)
2011–→ Granada (loan)88(17)
National team
2009Nigeria U203(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 31 October 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).

Odion Jude Ighalo (born 16 June 1989) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays for Granada CF on loan from Udinese Calcio, as a striker.

Club career

Early years / Lyn

Born in Lagos, Ighalo played in his country with Prime F.C. and Julius Berger FC, where he was discovered by FIFA agent Marcelo Houseman who recommended him to Atta Aneke, being subsequently taken on trial by Norway's Lyn Fotball.

He made his Tippeligaen debut on 16 September 2007 at the age of just 18, scoring in a 2–0 home win against Viking FK. He netted six goals in 13 games in his second year to help his team to the seventh position, and subsequently arose interest from other clubs in the country, with SK Brann reporting Lyn to the Football Association of Norway for unfairness in the negotiation process.[1]

Udinese / Granada

On 30 July 2008 Ighalo signed for Udinese Calcio in Italy, moving alongside teammate Jo Inge Berget and agreeing to a five-year contract.[2] He appeared rarely in Serie A in his debut season, scoring against Cagliari Calcio in a 6–2 home routing –[3]four of his five league appearances came as a late substitute.

Ighalo was loaned to Granada CF in the 2009 summer, as part of the partnership agreement between Udinese and the Spaniards.[4][5][6] He scored 17 times in his first year (playoffs included)[7] and five in the second, as both seasons ended in promotion;[8][9] this was interspersed with a brief loan stint back in Italy with A.C. Cesena.[10]

Ighalo continued playing with Granada in the following years, still owned by the Udine side.[11][12] He played his first La Liga match on 27 August 2011, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–1 home loss to Real Betis.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Lyn, Brann og Odion Ighalo" (in Norwegian). FC Lyn. 30 July 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2010. 
  2. ↑ "Blir trist å forlate Lyn" (in Norwegian). FC Lyn. 30 July 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2010. 
  3. ↑ "Udinese-Cagliari 6–2: Quagliarella saluta nella festa del goal" [Udinese-Cagliari 6–2: Quagliarella salutes in goal party] (in Italian). Goal.com. 31 May 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2013. 
  4. ↑ "Apuesta de futuro por el Granada CF" [Granada CF bets on future] (in Spanish). Granada CF. 10 July 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2009. 
  5. ↑ "Pistoletazo de salida al Granada C.F. 2009/2010" [Starting gun to Granada C.F. 2009/2010] (in Spanish). Granada CF. 23 July 2009. Retrieved 20 August 2009. 
  6. ↑ "Odion Ighalo, nuevo jugador del Granada C.F." [Odion Ighalo, new Granada C.F. player] (in Spanish). Granada CF. 22 August 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2009. 
  7. ↑ "El Granada, a medio palmo del ascenso" [Granada, inches away from promotion] (in Spanish). Ideal. 16 May 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2013. 
  8. ↑ "Granada, en Primera 35 años después" [Granada, in Primera 35 years after] (in Spanish). Marca. 18 June 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2013. 
  9. ↑ "Ighalo, el goleador oportuno" [Ighalo, the timely scorer] (in Spanish). El País. 19 June 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2013. 
  10. ↑ "Ufficiale: Ighalo al Cesena" [Official: Ighalo to Cesena] (in Italian). Tutto Mercato Web. 16 July 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2013. 
  11. ↑ "Ighalo vuelve cedido a Granada" [Ighalo returns to Granada on loan] (in Spanish). Marca. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2013. 
  12. ↑ "Ighalo jugará en el Granada su quinta campaña consecutiva cedido por Udinense [sic]" [Ighalo to play his fifth consecutive campaign with Granada loaned by Udinense] (in Spanish). Ideal. 24 August 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013. 
  13. ↑ "Rubén Castro hace justicia" [Rubén Castro does justice] (in Spanish). El País. 28 August 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2013. 

External links

Granada CF – current squad
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