Odion Ighalo facts for kids
Ighalo with Watford in 2016
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Odion Jude Ighalo | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 16 June 1989 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ekpoma, Edo, Nigeria | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 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 | 47 | (19) | |||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Nigeria U20 | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2015– | Nigeria | 37 | (16) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 January 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 29 March 2022 |
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Odion Jude Ighalo (born on June 16, 1989) is a professional footballer from Nigeria. He plays as a forward for the Saudi Pro League club Al-Wehda.
Ighalo started his football journey in Nigeria with clubs like Prime and Julius Berger. In 2007, he moved to the Norwegian club Lyn. A year later, he joined the Italian club Udinese. He spent most of his time there on loan to the Spanish club Granada.
In 2014, Ighalo signed with the English club Watford. He played a big part in helping them get promoted to the Premier League in the 2014–15 season. In 2017, he moved to the Chinese Super League to play for Changchun Yatai, and later for Shanghai Shenhua. In 2020, Ighalo made a dream return to the Premier League, joining Manchester United on loan.
Ighalo first played for the Nigeria national team in March 2015. He represented his country at the 2018 World Cup. He was also the top goalscorer in the qualification games for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. He helped Nigeria finish third in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, where he was the top scorer and made it into the tournament's best team.
Contents
Odion Ighalo's Football Journey
Early Days and First Steps
Odion Ighalo was born in Edo and grew up in Lagos, Nigeria. He began his football career playing for local clubs, Prime and Julius Berger. A FIFA agent discovered him and helped him get a trial with the Norwegian club Lyn.
He made his first appearance in Norway's top league, Tippeligaen, on September 16, 2007. He was only 18 years old and even scored a goal in his debut match! In his second year, he scored six goals, which made other clubs interested in him.
Playing in Italy and Spain
On July 30, 2008, Ighalo signed a five-year contract with Udinese, an Italian club. He didn't play much in his first season in Serie A, but he did score one goal.
In 2009, Ighalo was loaned to Granada in Spain. 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 more years, even though Udinese still owned him. He played his first game in La Liga, Spain's top league, on August 27, 2011.
Time at Watford
Ighalo joined Watford in England on a loan from Udinese on July 29, 2014. He played his first game for Watford in the League Cup. He scored his first goal for them in the Championship on September 30, helping his team win 2–1.
On October 24, 2014, Watford made his move permanent. Three months later, he scored four goals in one game against Blackpool, helping Watford win 7–2 after being behind at halftime! He scored 14 league goals that season.
Ighalo scored in his first Premier League game on August 8, 2015. He came on as a substitute and put Watford ahead in a 2–2 draw against Everton. He scored two goals against West Ham United on October 31, becoming Watford's top scorer in the Premier League after just 11 matches. In December, he scored two more goals against Liverpool. His amazing five goals in December earned him the Premier League Player of the Month award.
On August 12, 2016, Ighalo signed a new five-year contract with Watford.
Moving to China
On January 31, 2017, Ighalo moved to China to play for Chinese Super League club Changchun Yatai. He was the second-highest scorer in his second season there, with 21 goals.
Ighalo then transferred to Shanghai Shenhua on February 14, 2019. He even mentioned that he turned down an offer from Barcelona to join Shanghai Shenhua. In March 2020, Shanghai Shenhua offered him a very big contract extension.
Dream Move to Manchester United
On January 31, 2020, Ighalo returned to the Premier League, joining Manchester United on loan. This was a dream come true for him, as he had always supported the club. He became the first Nigerian player to join Manchester United. He chose to wear the number 25 shirt.
Ighalo made his full debut for Manchester United in a Europa League match on February 27. He scored his first goal for the club in that game, which was also his first goal in a European competition. A week later, he scored two goals as United beat Derby County 3–0 in the FA Cup. He scored another great goal against LASK, which was voted United's goal of the month for March.
Because of the global pandemic, Ighalo's loan was extended until January 2021. He left Manchester United on January 27, 2021, after his loan ended.
Playing in Saudi Arabia
On February 4, 2021, Ighalo joined Saudi Professional League club Al Shabab. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract.
On January 29, 2022, he signed with another Saudi club, Al-Hilal. He was the top scorer in the league in his first season with 24 goals! On February 26, 2023, he scored four goals in a huge 7–0 win in the Champions League semi-final.
On August 15, 2023, Ighalo joined Al-Wehda on a free transfer.
Representing Nigeria
Playing for His Country
After playing very well for Watford, Odion Ighalo was chosen to play for the Nigeria national team for the first time on March 24, 2015. He said it was his dream to play for his country. He played his first game for Nigeria two days later in a friendly match against Uganda.
In June 2018, he was part of Nigeria's team for the FIFA World Cup in Russia. He played in the group stage match against Croatia.
Africa Cup of Nations Success
Ighalo scored seven goals in the qualification games for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. This was the most goals scored by any player, and it helped Nigeria qualify for the main tournament in Egypt. He played in all the matches and scored against Burundi, Cameroon, Algeria, and Tunisia. He helped Nigeria finish in third place. At the end of the tournament, he announced he was retiring from international football.
Ighalo was later called back to the Nigeria team for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, but his club, Al Shabab, did not allow him to take part.
Off the Pitch
Personal Life and Charity Work
Odion Ighalo is a very religious person and a devout 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, Nigeria.
Achievements and Awards
Watford
- Football League Championship runner-up: 2014–15
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
- Premier League Player of the Month: December 2015
- Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2019
- Africa Cup of Nations Golden Boot: 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
See also
In Spanish: Odion Ighalo para niños
