Shola Ameobi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Shola Ameobi

Ameobi warming up for Newcastle United in 2008
Personal information
Date of birth	(1981-10-12) 12 October 1981 (age 43)
Place of birth	Zaria, Nigeria
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
1995–2000	Newcastle United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2000–2014	Newcastle United	312	(53)
2008	→ Stoke City (loan)	6	(0)
2014–2015	Gaziantep BB	11	(4)
2015	Crystal Palace	4	(0)
2015–2016	Bolton Wanderers	8	(2)
2016–2017	Fleetwood Town	10	(1)
2017–2018	Notts County	51	(10)
Total		402	(70)
National team
2000–2003	England U21	20	(7)
2012–2014	Nigeria	10	(2)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Foluwashola "Shola" Ameobi (born 12 October 1981) is a former professional footballer from Nigeria. He played as a striker.

Shola spent 14 years playing for Newcastle United. He played in 397 official games and scored 79 goals for the club. He also won the Championship with them in 2010. He is known for being one of the players with the most appearances as a substitute in the Premier League.

After leaving Newcastle in 2014, he played for several other clubs. These included Gaziantep BB in Turkey, Crystal Palace, Bolton Wanderers, Fleetwood Town, and Notts County.

Shola was born in Nigeria but grew up in England. He played for the England under-21 team. Later, he made his debut for the Nigeria senior team in 2012. He even represented Nigeria at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Early Life and Football Start

Shola Ameobi was born in Zaria, Nigeria. His family is from the Ijumu Local Government Area in Nigeria. When he was five years old, his family moved to Fenham, Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

Shola showed great talent for football early on. He played at the Walker Central Boys Club. Soon after, he was invited to join the Newcastle United Academy. This is where young players train to become professional footballers.

Club Career Highlights

Playing for Newcastle United

Starting Out

Shola Ameobi signed a contract with Newcastle United on 1 July 1997. He worked his way up through the youth teams. He played his first game for the reserve team in 1998. Two years later, on 9 September 2000, he made his first team debut. This was in a home game against Chelsea. He played in 22 games that season because other key players were injured.

During the 2002–03 Champions League season, Shola had some amazing performances. He scored an equalizing goal against Barcelona at the Nou Camp. He also scored two goals against Bayer Leverkusen in a 3–1 victory.

Shola was not always a top goalscorer, but he often came on as a substitute to make a difference. In the 2005–06 season, he got to start more games due to injuries to other players. He scored six goals in Newcastle's last 12 Premier League matches.

In the 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup, Shola scored twice against Lillestrøm SK. This made him the second-highest goalscorer for Newcastle in European competitions, with twelve goals. Only Alan Shearer had scored more.

Injuries and Loans

In the 2006–07 season, Shola needed an operation on his hip. This problem had bothered him for two seasons. He had to delay the surgery because Newcastle needed him to play. The injury eventually forced him to have the operation, which meant he missed the rest of the season.

After his hip operation, Shola recovered well. He was back playing sooner than expected. However, he didn't impress the new managers at Newcastle. On 27 March 2008, he went on a loan to Stoke City to help them get promoted. He played six games for Stoke but didn't score any goals. Stoke decided not to sign him permanently, and he returned to Newcastle.

Later, Ipswich Town tried to sign him, but the deal fell through because of a hamstring problem found during his medical check.

Back to Form

Ameobi warming up on the sidelines against Ipswich Town in 2010.

Because other strikers were injured, Shola got to play more in the 2008–09 season. He scored his first goal for Newcastle in two years against Manchester City. The manager, Joe Kinnear, praised him and believed he could restart his career. Shola then scored against Sunderland. In January 2009, he signed a new contract with the club.

On 1 February 2009, he scored his 50th goal for Newcastle from a penalty kick against Sunderland. This game ended in a 1–1 draw. He scored his first ever hat-trick (three goals in one game) in Newcastle's first home match in the Championship against Reading. He was named the Championship player of the month for August because of his great start to the season.

Ameobi playing against Chelsea in November 2010.

Shola got injured again but came back strong. He scored against Coventry and Middlesbrough. On 22 September 2010, he scored two goals in a surprising win away at Chelsea in the League Cup. He scored the winning goal in the 90th minute! On 31 October 2010, he scored twice as Newcastle beat Sunderland 5–1. He was known as "The Mackem Slayer" by Newcastle fans because he scored so many goals against Sunderland.

He signed a new contract extension in August 2011, keeping him at Newcastle until the end of the 2013–14 season.

Later Years at Newcastle

In the 2011–12 season, Shola often came on as a substitute because new strikers like Demba Ba and Papiss Cissé joined the team. However, he still scored important goals. On 4 March, he scored a 91st-minute equalizer against Sunderland, making it 7 goals in 12 games against them.

Ameobi (back; third from right) playing for Newcastle against Metalist Kharkiv in the Europa League in 2013.

During Newcastle's Europa League journey, Shola scored three goals. These included a goal against Bordeaux, an equalizer against Club Brugge, and a penalty to win against Metalist Kharkiv.

He scored in a 2–0 win against Morecambe in the League Cup in 2013. His younger brother, Sammy, scored the other goal in that game. Shola scored his last goals for Newcastle against Swansea City and Cardiff City.

On 23 May 2014, Newcastle United announced that Shola Ameobi would be leaving the club after 14 years.

Other Clubs

After leaving Newcastle, Shola played for a few other teams:

• Gaziantep BB (Turkey): In August 2014, he signed a one-year contract with this Turkish club. He played 11 games and scored 4 goals before leaving for family reasons in December 2014.
• Crystal Palace: In January 2015, he returned to the Premier League with Crystal Palace. He played 4 games before his contract ended in June 2015.
• Bolton Wanderers: In October 2015, Shola joined Bolton Wanderers. He scored on his debut against Leeds United. He left the club in January 2016 after scoring 2 goals in 8 games.
• Fleetwood Town: In February 2016, he signed for Fleetwood Town until the end of the season. He scored 1 goal in 10 games.
• Notts County: In February 2017, Shola joined Notts County. He signed a new contract in June 2017. He played 51 games and scored 10 goals for the club before being released at the end of the 2017–18 season.

Return to Newcastle United

On 22 June 2019, Shola Ameobi returned to Newcastle United in a new role. He became the club's first ever loan manager. This means he helps players who are on loan to other clubs.

Personal Life

Shola Ameobi has two younger brothers, Tomi and Sammy, who are also footballers.

His father, Dr John Ameobi, is a pastor in a church in Newcastle. Shola and his brothers were raised with a strong Christian faith. Shola is also involved with CSW, an organization that works for religious freedom and human rights.

International Career

Shola Ameobi played for the England under-21 team for three years, from 2000 to 2003. He scored seven goals for them.

In 2009, Shola said he wanted to play for Nigeria, the country where he was born. In November 2011, FIFA (the world football governing body) officially allowed him to play for Nigeria.

In November 2012, Shola was called up to the Nigeria national team. He made his debut on 14 November, coming on as a substitute against Venezuela. He helped set up a goal in that game.

He scored his first goal for Nigeria on 10 September 2013, in a friendly game against Burkina Faso. He scored his second goal against Italy in November 2013.

On 12 May 2014, Shola was chosen for Nigeria's team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He played in two games as a substitute during the tournament. Nigeria was knocked out by France in the round of 16.

Career Statistics

Club

Scource:

International

Honours

Newcastle United

• EFL Championship: 2009–10
• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2006

Individual

• 'Wor Jackie' Award: 2000–01

Images for kids

• 

  Ameobi playing against Chelsea in November 2010.

See also

In Spanish: Shola Ameobi para niños