Carl Ikeme facts for kids
Ikeme playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2014
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Carl Onora Ikeme | ||
| Date of birth | 8 June 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Sutton Coldfield, England | ||
| Height | 1.88 m | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2003 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2018 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 191 | (0) |
| 2004 | → Accrington Stanley (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | → Stockport County (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2009 | → Charlton Athletic (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2009 | → Sheffield United (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2010 | → Queens Park Rangers (loan) | 17 | (0) |
| 2010 | → Leicester City (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2011 | → Middlesbrough (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2011 | → Doncaster Rovers (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Doncaster Rovers (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| Total | 256 | (0) | |
| National team | |||
| 2015–2016 | Nigeria | 10 | (0) |
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Carl Onora Ikeme, born on June 8, 1986, is a former professional football player. He was a goalkeeper.
He played his entire career for Wolverhampton Wanderers, also known as Wolves. He played in 207 games for them. Carl helped his team win the Championship in 2009 and League One in 2014. He also played one game in the top league, the Premier League, in 2012. During his time at Wolves, he also played for eight other teams on loan.
Carl was born in England but chose to play for the Nigerian national team. He played 10 games for Nigeria between 2015 and 2016. In 2017, Carl found out he had a serious illness. A year later, after getting better, he decided to stop playing football.
Contents
Carl Ikeme's Football Journey
Starting Out at Wolves
Carl Ikeme started playing football in the Wolverhampton Wanderers youth team. He joined the first team in the 2003–04 season, when Wolves were in the Premier League. He was often a substitute player but did not play in a game yet.
In October 2004, Carl went on a one-month loan to Accrington Stanley. This meant he played for them for a short time. He played his first professional game on October 16, 2004. He helped his team keep a "clean sheet," meaning the other team did not score any goals.
Carl finally played his first game for Wolves in August 2005. It was a 5–1 win against Chester City in the League Cup. Later in 2005, he went on another loan to Stockport County. This loan ended early because he hurt his hand. In August 2006, he played his first league game for Wolves.
Injuries and Loan Spells
Carl hurt his knee during the 2006–07 season and needed an operation. This kept him from playing until late 2007. When he got better, he mostly played for the reserve team. In September 2008, he got another chance to play for Wolves. This was because the main goalkeeper, Wayne Hennessey, was suspended. Carl played many games for Wolves until another injury stopped him. That season, Wolves won the Championship title and moved up to the Premier League.
After getting fit again, Carl went on several loan spells to other teams:
- In October 2009, he joined Charlton Athletic for a month. He played five games for them.
- Right after that, he went to Sheffield United for a month. He got a hamstring injury, which cut his time there short.
- In January 2010, he joined Queens Park Rangers and played 17 games.
- In August 2010, he went to Leicester City. He played four games before returning to Wolves.
- In August 2011, he joined Middlesbrough. He played 10 games and kept six clean sheets. He then returned to Wolves because of a hand injury.
- In November 2011, he went on loan to Doncaster Rovers. He played five games. He returned to Doncaster again in March 2012. He played 10 more games before Wolves called him back due to an injury to their main goalkeeper.
Back at Wolves
Carl Ikeme played his first game for Wolves since January 2009 on the last day of the 2011–12 season. He came on as a substitute in a game against Wigan Athletic.
For the 2012–13 season, Carl became Wolves' main goalkeeper. This was because other goalkeepers were injured. In March 2013, he accidentally scored an own goal during a game. He was so upset that he broke his hand by punching a tactics board. This injury kept him out for the rest of the season. At the end of that season, Wolves were moved down to League One.
Carl remained the main goalkeeper for Wolves in the 2013–14 season. He played very well, especially in a game against Colchester United where he saved a penalty. He broke his hand again in January 2014. When he returned, he was the clear first-choice goalkeeper. That season, Wolves won the League One title. Carl kept 22 clean sheets and was named in the PFA League One Team of the Year.
Back in the Championship for the 2014–15 season, Carl continued to play well. He kept five clean sheets in the first eight games. In 2017, Carl received his first red card in a game against Norwich City.
Illness and Retirement
On July 6, 2017, Wolves announced that Carl Ikeme had been diagnosed with acute leukaemia, a type of cancer. This was found during a normal check-up. Wolves went on to win the Championship title and return to the Premier League, but Carl could not play because he was getting treatment.
On June 23, 2018, Carl shared that his cancer was in "complete remission," meaning it was gone. He said it had been a very tough year with strong treatments. On July 27, he announced he was retiring from football for health reasons. The team's new goalkeeper, Rui Patrício, chose to wear the number 11 jersey instead of the number 1. This was done to honor Carl Ikeme.
Playing for Nigeria
Carl Ikeme was born in England but could choose to play for either England or Nigeria. He chose to play for Nigeria. He was first called to the Nigerian national team, known as the "Super Eagles," in March 2007.
He played his first international game for Nigeria on September 5, 2015, against Tanzania. Carl played in three games during Nigeria's successful journey to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. However, he could not go to the World Cup tournament because of his cancer treatment.
Life Outside Football
Carl Ikeme also practices Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which is a type of martial art. He has achieved the rank of blue belt. He has also won the British Open and earned a bronze medal at the IBJJF European Championship.
Images for kids
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Ikeme playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2014
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Ikeme playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2012
See also
In Spanish: Carl Ikeme para niños
