Ikechukwu Uche facts for kids
Uche as a Getafe player
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 5 January 1984 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Aba, Nigeria | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.71 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Striker | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| Amanze United | ||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Iwuanyanwo Nationale | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Racing Ferrol | 28 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2007 | Recreativo | 133 | (50) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Getafe | 55 | (11) | |||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Zaragoza | 18 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2015 | Villarreal | 85 | (33) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | → Granada (loan) | 34 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | UANL | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2016 | → Málaga (loan) | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2019 | Gimnàstic | 75 | (21) | |||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2014 | Nigeria | 46 | (19) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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Ikechukwu Uche MON (born January 5, 1984) is a former professional footballer from Nigeria. He was a talented striker, known for his amazing goal celebrations! He spent most of his career playing football in Spain. He played in 194 matches in Spain's top league, La Liga, and scored 42 goals. Uche also played for the Nigerian national team in two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Contents
Club Career
Playing in Spain: Early Days
Ikechukwu Uche was born in Aba, Abia, Nigeria. He started his football journey in his home country with teams like Amanze United and Iwuanyanwu Nationale. When he was just 18, he moved to Spain. His first Spanish club was Racing de Ferrol in the second division. In his second season there, he played in 24 games.
After that, Uche joined another second-division team, Recreativo de Huelva. He quickly became a star, scoring 12 goals in his first year. In the 2005–06 season, he was the top scorer in the league with 20 goals in only 28 games! This helped his team, Recreativo, get promoted back to La Liga, Spain's top football league.
In his first season in La Liga (2006–07), Uche scored eight goals. He even scored in three games in a row in November 2006. His goals helped Recreativo finish in a good eighth place in the league.
Moving to Getafe and Zaragoza
In 2007–08, Uche moved to Getafe CF, a club near Madrid. He often came on as a substitute in games. In November 2008, he scored a goal against Real Madrid, helping Getafe win 3–1.
In July 2009, Uche joined Real Zaragoza, another team that had just returned to La Liga. He signed a four-year contract. Sadly, in only his second match, he got a serious knee injury. This meant he couldn't play for seven months.
Uche worked hard to recover. He was ready for the 2010–11 season, but then he got another knee injury! This kept him out for another six months. He finally returned to play in February 2011. On March 2, 2011, he started a game against Athletic Bilbao and scored the winning goal. It was his first goal since May 2009, and he was so emotional that he cried while celebrating!
Success with Villarreal
In 2011, Uche signed with Villarreal CF. He was immediately loaned out to Granada CF. He even scored the only goal against Villarreal, the team that owned his rights!
When he returned to Villarreal, Uche became their top scorer. He helped his team get promoted back to the top division in 2013. He scored two goals in several games, helping Villarreal win. On January 6, 2014, back in La Liga, he scored his first ever hat-trick (three goals in one game)! This helped Villarreal win 5–2 against Rayo Vallecano.
Later Career Years
In June 2015, Uche moved to Mexico to play for Tigres UANL. He signed a three-year contract. However, in February 2016, he returned to Spain and was loaned to Málaga CF.
On August 10, 2016, Uche joined Gimnàstic de Tarragona in Spain's second division. He played there for three years, extending his contract until 2019.
International Career
Ikechukwu Uche started playing for the Nigerian national team in 2007. He was part of the team that played in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana. The "Super Eagles" (Nigeria's team nickname) reached the quarter-finals of that tournament.
Uche was also chosen for the 23-man squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. He played in four games and helped Nigeria win the championship!
Personal Life
Ikechukwu Uche's older brother, Kalu Uche, was also a professional footballer. He was also a forward and played most of his career in Spain. (They are not related to other famous Nigerian players named Uche, like Uche Okechukwu or Ikechukwu Kalu).
The name Ikechukwu means "God's Power" in the Igbo language. Uche even appeared in a music video for the song Touchin Body by J. Martins and DJ Arafat!
Honours
Recreativo
- Segunda División: 2005–06 (Champions)
Nigeria
- Africa Cup of Nations: 2013 (Winners)
Individual
- Pichichi Trophy (Segunda División): 2005–06 (Top Scorer)
Orders
Member of the Order of the Niger
See also
In Spanish: Ikechukwu Uche para niños
