Odion Ighalo facts for kids
Ighalo with Watford in 2016
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Odion Jude Ighalo | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 16 June 1989 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ekpoma, Nigeria | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Striker | |||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Al-Wehda | |||||||||||||||
| Number | 9 | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2005 | Prime | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 2005 | Prime | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2006 | Julius Berger | 10 | (5) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Lyn | 20 | (9) | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2014 | Udinese | 6 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | → Granada (loan) | 26 | (16) | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | → Cesena (loan) | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2014 | → Granada (loan) | 95 | (16) | |||||||||||||
| 2014 | → Watford (loan) | 8 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2014–2017 | Watford | 82 | (34) | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Changchun Yatai | 55 | (36) | |||||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Shanghai Shenhua | 17 | (10) | |||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | → Manchester United (loan) | 12 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Al-Shabab | 31 | (21) | |||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Al-Hilal | 40 | (31) | |||||||||||||
| 2023– | Al-Wehda | 63 | (21) | |||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Nigeria U20 | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2015–2022 | Nigeria | 37 | (16) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 29 March 2022 |
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Odion Jude Ighalo (born 16 June 1989) is a professional footballer from Nigeria. He plays as a forward for Saudi Pro League club Al-Wehda.
Ighalo started his career playing for clubs in Nigeria. He then moved to Norway in 2007 and Italy in 2008. He spent a lot of time playing on loan for Granada in Spain. In 2014, he joined Watford in England. He helped them get promoted to the Premier League.
Later, Ighalo played for teams in China, including Changchun Yatai and Shanghai Shenhua. In 2020, he had a dream come true when he joined Manchester United on loan. After that, he moved to Saudi Arabia, playing for Al Shabab and Al-Hilal before joining Al-Wehda.
He also played for the Nigerian national team. He represented Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup. He was the top goal scorer in the qualifiers for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Nigeria finished third in that tournament, and Ighalo was the top scorer there too.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Early Football Days
Odion Ighalo was born in Edo and grew up in Lagos, Nigeria. He played for local clubs like Prime and Julius Berger. A football agent discovered him and helped him get a trial with Lyn in Norway.
He made his first appearance in Norway's top league in September 2007. He was only 18 years old and scored a goal in his debut match. In his second year, he scored six goals, which made other clubs interested in him.
Time in Italy and Spain
In 2008, Ighalo signed a five-year contract with Udinese in Italy. He did not play much in his first season there.
He was then loaned to Granada in Spain in 2009. This was part of a special agreement between Udinese and Granada. He scored 17 goals in his first year and helped Granada get promoted twice. He also had a short loan spell back in Italy with Cesena. Ighalo continued to play for Granada for several years. He played his first La Liga match in August 2011.
Success with Watford
Ighalo joined Watford in England on loan from Udinese in July 2014. He scored his first goal for them in September. Soon after, Watford signed him permanently.
In January 2015, he scored four goals in one half of a game against Blackpool. Watford won that match 7–2 after being behind at halftime. He scored 14 league goals that season, helping Watford get promoted to the Premier League.
Ighalo scored in his Premier League debut in August 2015. He scored twice against West Ham United in October, becoming Watford's top scorer in the Premier League at that time. In December, he scored in four games in a row, including two goals against Liverpool. He was named the Premier League Player of the Month for December 2015.
In March 2016, he scored a goal against Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-finals. This helped Watford reach the semi-finals for the first time in nine years. He signed a new five-year contract in August 2016. However, in the next season, he scored only one league goal.
Moving to China
In January 2017, Ighalo moved to Chinese Super League club Changchun Yatai. He was the second-highest scorer in his second season there, with 21 goals. However, his team was relegated.
In February 2019, Ighalo transferred to Shanghai Shenhua. He later shared that he had turned down an offer from Barcelona before joining Shenhua.
Loan to Manchester United
On January 31, 2020, Ighalo joined Manchester United on loan. This was a dream come true for him, as he had supported the club since he was young. He became the first Nigerian player to join Manchester United. He chose to wear the number 25 shirt.
He made his full debut for United in a UEFA Europa League match in February. He scored his first goal for the club in that game. A week later, he scored two goals in an FA Cup match against Derby County. He also scored a fantastic goal against LASK in March, which was voted United's goal of the month.
His loan was extended until January 2021. He left Manchester United at the end of his loan spell.
Playing in Saudi Arabia
In February 2021, Ighalo joined Saudi Professional League club Al Shabab. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract.
In January 2022, he signed with another Saudi club, Al-Hilal. He finished his first season there as the league's top scorer with 24 goals. In February 2023, he scored four goals in a big win against Al-Duhail in the AFC Champions League semi-final.
On August 15, 2023, Ighalo joined Al-Wehda on a free transfer. He continues to play for them.
International Career
Odion Ighalo was first chosen to play for the Nigerian national team in March 2015. He said it was his dream to play for his country. He played his first game for Nigeria a few days later.
In June 2018, he was part of Nigeria's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He played in the group stage match against Croatia.
Ighalo scored seven goals in the qualifiers for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. This was the most goals scored by any player, and it helped Nigeria qualify for the tournament in Egypt. He played in all of Nigeria's matches in the tournament. He scored goals against Burundi, Cameroon (twice), Algeria, and Tunisia. Nigeria finished in third place, and Ighalo was the top scorer of the competition. After the tournament, he announced his retirement from international football.
He was later called back to the Nigerian team for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. However, his club, Al Shabab, did not allow him to join the team.
Personal Life
Odion Ighalo is a very religious Christian. He often uses some of his earnings to help children, schools, and widows in need in Nigeria. He has always been a big fan of Manchester United. Ighalo has three children: two sons and one daughter. In June 2021, he became an Ambassador for the National Principal's Cup in Abuja.
Honours and Awards
Ighalo has won several awards and helped his teams achieve success:
- Watford
- Football League Championship runner-up: 2014–15 (promoted to Premier League)
- Shanghai Shenhua
- Chinese FA Cup: 2019
- Al-Hilal
- Saudi Pro League: 2021–22
- King Cup: 2022–23
- AFC Champions League runner-up: 2022
- FIFA Club World Cup runner-up: 2022
- Nigeria
- Africa Cup of Nations third place: 2019
- Individual Awards
- Premier League Player of the Month: December 2015
- Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2019
- Africa Cup of Nations Golden Boot (Top Scorer): 2019
- Saudi Pro League Player of the Month: April & May 2021, March 2022
- Saudi Pro League Team of the Year: 2021–22, 2022–23
- Saudi Pro League Top Scorer: 2021–22
Images for kids
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Ighalo playing for Watford in 2016
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Ighalo warming up for Watford in 2014
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Ighalo playing for Nigeria at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
See also
In Spanish: Odion Ighalo para niños
