Mfon Udoh

Mfon Udoh (born 14 March 1992) is a Nigerian footballer who plays as a forward for Enyimba FC and the Nigeria national team. He has been described as a complete forward who possesses pace, good positioning, natural finishing as well as the ability to provide assists.^[1] He is a "fox in the box" type of player, difficult to stop once in the penalty area.^[2] He currently holds the record for highest number of goals scored in the Nigerian Premier Football League in a single season. He is also the first player to score over 35 league goals in two seasons in Nigeria. He scored 38 goals in the regular league and 3 in cup competitions, for a total of 41 goals in his first 2 professional league seasons 2012-2014.^[3]

Club career

Early career

Mfon began his youth career with Diamond Stars Academy then at Calabar (UNICEM) Rovers of the Nigeria National League, the former youth club of Finidi George. He would go on to score 8 goals in his first season for the Rovers in 2011-2012 season, finishing as their top marksman in all competitions.

Akwa United F.C (2012-2013)

In the 2012-2013 season he transferred to Akwa United F.C.,his hometown club in the Nigerian Premier Division. On March 31, 2013 few weeks after turning twenty years, he scored his first ever goal at the top level of Nigerian football. On August 3, 2013 he received the League Bloggers Award for the best player during the month of July.^[2] He would go on to complete the regular season with 15 goals to his name,^[4] among them 8 crucial away goals to help 'the Promise Keepers' escape relegation. He finished the season once more as the top marksman for his club and 3rd highest overall in the league.^[5] The performances by the then 20-year-old attracted the attention of top clubs in the league.

Enyimba F.C (2013-2014)

After surprising many with his performances during his rookie season, Udoh earned a transfer to two-time African Champions League winners Enyimba for an undisclosed amount. He was given the number 10 shirt and registered for both the Nigerian NPFL and African Champions League competitions. Enyimba presented the biggest opportunity for the best of Udoh to be showcased under a good club management and good technical handlers. He set a personal target of 20 goals for the season. He would go on to surpass this target, shattering the previous league record by scoring 23 goals as Enyimba finished second in the league table.^[3] He is currently the only player in the history of the Nigerian league to score more than 20 league goals in a single season.^[6] Mfon was a recipient of multiple 'player of the week' awards for scoring very vital goals and assists throughout the year.^[7] He scored a total of 6 braces throughout the campaign, including in the last game against Kano Pillars to extend Enyimba's unbeaten streak to seven games, ending the season on a high note.^[4]

Enyimba F.C (2014-2015)

Mfon scored the only goal in the 1-0 win over Bayelsa Utd to give Enyimba their first league win of the season. He would then score a trademark goal against Taraba Utd by capitalizing on lapse in communication between the defenders to give Enyimba a crucial away win. In the game against Sharks in Aba Mfon would score a brace to bring his tally to 4 goals in 4 games so far.

International career

In November 2014 he was called up to a friendly game between Nigerian and Ghanaian home-based teams. He made his first appearance for the national team as a 45th minute substitute.

Honours

Club

• Enyimba: Nigerian Premier Football League: runners-up 2014

Individual

• Nigerian Premier League Top Scorer(1): 2013-2014
• Enyimba top scorer: 2013-2014
• League Bloggers Award (1): August 2013

References