Nedum Onuoha facts for kids

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Nedum Onuoha

Onuoha training with Queens Park Rangers in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Chinedum Onuoha
Date of birth	(1986-11-12) 12 November 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth	Warri, Nigeria
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Playing position	Defender
Youth career
1996–2004	Manchester City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2004–2012	Manchester City	95	(3)
2010–2011	→ Sunderland (loan)	31	(1)
2012–2018	Queens Park Rangers	207	(7)
2018–2020	Real Salt Lake	44	(1)
Total		377	(12)
National team
2005	England U20	1	(0)
2005–2009	England U21	20	(2)
Honours Men's football Representing  England UEFA European Under-21 Championship Runner-up 2009 Sweden
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Chinedum Onuoha (born 12 November 1986) is an English former professional footballer. He now works as a TV expert for ESPN and helps out at Manchester City as a community ambassador.

Nedum, as he is known, played mostly as a centre back. He could also play as a right back or left back. He grew up in the Manchester City youth team. He played 95 games for them in the Premier League over eight years. He also played for Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers in the top league.

Nedum was part of the QPR team that lost 3-2 to his old club Manchester City. This was on the last day of the 2011–12 season. City won the league title in the very last moments of that game. Later, he helped QPR get promoted back to the Premier League in 2014. He then spent a few seasons playing in America for Real Salt Lake. Nedum also played for the England U20 and England U21 teams.

About Nedum's Life

Nedum Onuoha was born in Warri, Nigeria. He grew up in Manchester, England. He went to Nelson Street Primary School and then to Hulme Grammar School. He was a very good student, getting high grades in his exams. He also studied at Xaverian College and got top grades in Maths, Business Studies, and IT. Nedum shared that his parents had strict rules. Schoolwork always came first. If he didn't study well, he wasn't allowed to play football.

When he was 14, Nedum was a great young sprinter. He came second in a big 100-meter race in 2001. He even beat a future Great Britain sprinter! He also holds a national record for the under-15 standing triple jump.

Nedum supported Manchester City as a boy. He even went to Wembley to watch them play in 1999. In 2011, his mother, Dr. Anthonia Onuoha, sadly passed away from cancer. She was also his agent. Nedum said that he would dedicate the rest of his football career to her memory. He wanted to keep making her proud.

Outside of football, Nedum studied accountancy at Manchester Metropolitan University. But he found it very boring! In 2014, he became a father when his wife, Lucy, gave birth to their daughter, Amaia.

In 2021, Nedum went back to Manchester City. He started working for their community program, City in the Community. In November 2021, he announced that he would release a book about his life called Kicking Back.

Nedum's Football Journey

Playing for Manchester City

Onuoha playing for Manchester City in 2007.

Nedum joined Manchester City's youth academy when he was ten years old in 1996. He played regularly for their reserve team. He first played with the senior team in 2004 during a friendly match.

Nedum made his first team debut for Manchester City on 27 October 2004. He was just 17 years old. This was in a League Cup game against Arsenal. A few days later, he played his first Premier League game. Even though he was a centre-back, his manager first played him at right-back. This was to help him improve his passing.

He played well in his first season. He even won the club's Young Player of the Year award for 2004–05. Nedum signed a new three-year contract with the club.

The next few seasons were a bit tough for Nedum. He had several injuries, including hamstring and knee problems. These injuries kept him off the field for long periods. Despite this, he kept working hard to get back into the team. In 2005, he won the BBC North West Sports Personality of the Year Award for newcomer.

In the 2007–08 season, Nedum started well. He even captained Manchester City in a League Cup game. He scored his first goal for City against Tottenham Hotspur in March 2008. But his season ended early when he dislocated his shoulder.

The 2008–09 season saw Nedum play in the UEFA Cup for the first time. He scored his first goal in this competition against Copenhagen. He also scored another league goal against West Brom. He became a key player in defence, especially towards the end of the season. Nedum signed a new five-year deal with Manchester City in 2009.

In the 2009–10 season, Nedum struggled with injuries again. He also found it hard to get into the first team. He scored a great solo goal against Birmingham City in April 2010. After this season, he felt that his manager, Roberto Mancini, was not giving him enough chances.

Before the 2011–12 season, Nedum was told he could look for a new club. But he decided to stay and fight for his place. However, he only played three games that season before moving to Queens Park Rangers in January 2012.

Loan to Sunderland

On 12 August 2010, Nedum joined Sunderland on loan for a season. His manager, Steve Bruce, was very happy to have him. He said Nedum was "young, hungry and desperate to do well." He also praised Nedum's speed and strength.

Nedum quickly became a regular player for Sunderland. He scored his first goal for them in a fantastic way. He dribbled past three Chelsea defenders before scoring in a 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge. He had some injuries during his time there. But he helped Sunderland finish tenth in the league. After the season, Sunderland decided not to sign him permanently.

Playing for Queens Park Rangers

On 26 January 2012, Nedum signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with Queens Park Rangers (QPR). He joined his former manager, Mark Hughes, there.

Nedum made his QPR debut on 2 February 2012. He quickly became a regular player, helping QPR fight to stay in the Premier League. On the last day of the season, QPR played Nedum's old club, Manchester City. QPR lost 3-2, but they stayed in the Premier League because another team, Bolton, didn't win their game.

In the 2012–13 season, Nedum continued to play regularly. However, QPR struggled and were relegated to the Championship. Nedum said he would keep fighting for his place at the club.

Nedum scored his first goal for QPR on 3 August 2013. This was in the first game of the 2013–14 season. He had some more hamstring injuries that season. But he played a big part in QPR's success. He helped them win the Championship play-offs in 2014. This meant QPR were promoted back to the Premier League! Nedum played in the final at Wembley Stadium.

The 2014–15 season was tough for Nedum and QPR. He had more injuries and sometimes didn't start games. He was also involved in an incident where an Arsenal player, Olivier Giroud, head-butted him. QPR were relegated from the Premier League again that season.

Before the 2015–16 season, Nedum became the club captain. He played his 100th game for QPR and scored a goal in a League Cup match. He signed a new contract to stay until 2018. Nedum played almost every game that season. He was a very important leader for the team. He helped QPR finish 12th in the Championship.

In the 2016–17 season, Nedum continued as captain. He scored in the first game of the season against Leeds United. He scored two more goals that season. He was sent off once but came back strong. Nedum was praised for his leadership and defensive play. He won the PFA Community Champion Award for his work outside of football.

The 2017–18 season was Nedum's last at QPR. He played his 200th game for the club. He had another hamstring injury that kept him out for three months. When he returned, he continued as captain. At the end of the season, it was announced that Nedum would be leaving QPR. His teammates voted him the Ray Jones Players' Player of the Year.

Playing for Real Salt Lake

On 14 September 2018, Nedum joined Major League Soccer team Real Salt Lake in the United States. He wanted to try something different.

He made his debut for Real Salt Lake on 30 September 2018. He helped the team reach the MLS Cup Playoffs that year. In the 2019 season, Nedum became a regular starter. He had a famous argument with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimović during a game. Nedum called Ibrahimović "arrogant" and "a complete thug." He scored his first goal for Real Salt Lake in September 2019. He helped the team qualify for the playoffs again.

Nedum announced his retirement from professional football after the 2020 season. In 2019, he also started hosting his own podcast called Kickback with Nedum.

International Football

Nedum could have played for either England or Nigeria. He was born in Nigeria but also had British citizenship. Nigeria invited him to play in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. But Nedum turned them down. He didn't want to leave his club, Manchester City, at a time when they had a new manager. He later said he regretted this choice. He never played for the senior national team of either country.

England Youth Teams

Nedum played for the England U20 team. Then he became a regular for the England U21 team. He made his U21 debut in October 2005.

He was part of the England U21 squad for the 2007 European Under 21s Championship. During this tournament, he faced racist abuse from some Serbian fans. Nedum handled it very well and was praised for his calm behaviour. He played well in defence. England reached the semi-finals but lost on penalties to the Netherlands.

In September 2007, Nedum scored his first goal for England U21. He also captained the team for the first time. In 2009, he played in the European Championships again. He helped England U21 reach the final after beating Sweden on penalties. However, England lost 4-0 to Germany in the final. This was his last game for the U21 team.

Career Statistics

Awards and Achievements

England U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 2009

Queens Park Rangers

• Football League Championship play-offs: 2014

See also

In Spanish: Nedum Onuoha para niños