Shola Ameobi facts for kids
Ameobi warming up for Newcastle United in 2008
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Foluwashola Ameobi | ||
| Date of birth | 12 October 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Zaria, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | 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) | |
| International career | |||
| 2000–2003 | England U21 | 20 | (7) |
| 2012–2014 | Nigeria | 10 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Foluwashola "Shola" Ameobi (born 12 October 1981) is a former professional footballer. He played as a striker.
Shola spent 14 years playing for Newcastle United. He played in 397 official games and scored 79 goals. He won the Championship with them in 2010. He is also one of the players with the most appearances as a substitute in the Premier League.
After leaving Newcastle in 2014, he played for a short time in Turkey for Gaziantep BB. He then had brief spells at other English clubs. These included 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 national team in 2012. He even represented Nigeria at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Early Life and Football Start
Shola Ameobi was born in Zaria, Nigeria. His family came from the Ijumu Local Government Area in Kogi State. When he was five, his family moved to Fenham, Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
He showed early talent at the Walker Central Boys Club. Because of this, he was invited to join Newcastle United's Academy. This was a big step towards his professional football career.
Club Career Highlights
Playing for Newcastle United
Starting His Journey
Shola Ameobi signed a first contract with Newcastle on 1 July 1997. He moved up through the youth teams. He played his first game for the reserve team in 1998.
His first game for the main team was on 9 September 2000. It was a home game against Chelsea. That season, he played in 22 games for Newcastle. He helped the team when star players like Alan Shearer were injured.
Big European Games
In the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League, Shola had some great moments. He scored a goal against Barcelona at the Nou Camp. He also scored two goals against Bayer Leverkusen in a 3–1 win.
Sometimes, his performance was not always the same. He was not known for scoring lots of goals. But he often came on as a substitute and made a difference.
In the 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup, Shola scored twice against Lillestrøm SK. This made him second in the club's list of top European goal scorers. Only Alan Shearer had scored more.
Dealing with Injuries and Loans
During the 2006–07 season, Shola needed a hip operation. This problem had bothered him for two seasons. He had put off the surgery because Newcastle needed him to play.
He had the surgery and recovered well. It was thought he would miss the start of the 2007–08 season. But he got better quickly and returned to play in the last few games.
In March 2008, Shola went on loan to Stoke City. This was to help them try to get promoted. He played six games for Stoke but did not score. Stoke decided not to sign him permanently.
Later, Ipswich Town wanted to sign him. But the deal did not happen because of a hamstring problem.
Strong Comeback and Hat-trick
Shola started the 2008–09 season back with Newcastle. Other strikers were injured, so he got a chance to play. He scored his first goal in two years against Manchester City in October.
He then scored against Sunderland in a local derby. In January 2009, he signed a new contract with Newcastle. He scored his 50th goal for Newcastle from a penalty against Sunderland.
In Newcastle's first home game in the Championship, he scored his first ever hat-trick. This was against Reading in August. He scored two diving headers and a penalty. He was named the Championship player of the month for August.
He faced another injury but returned to score important goals. He scored against Coventry and Middlesbrough. He also scored the winning goal against Nottingham Forest in March 2010.
In September 2010, Shola scored two goals in a big win against Chelsea in the League Cup. He scored the winning goal in the last minute. He also scored twice in a huge 5–1 win against Sunderland in October.
He continued to score important goals, including a winner against Wigan Athletic in January 2011. He signed a contract extension in August 2011. This kept him at Newcastle until the end of the 2013–14 season.
Later Years at Newcastle
In the 2011–12 season, Shola played less often. New strikers like Demba Ba and Papiss Cissé joined the team. But he still scored important goals.
On 16 October 2011, he scored a late goal against Tottenham to make it 2–2. On 4 March, he came on as a substitute against Sunderland. He scored an equaliser in the 91st minute. This meant he had scored 7 goals in 12 games against Sunderland. Fans called him "The Mackem Slayer" because of his goals against them.
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In the Europa League, Shola scored three goals. He scored against Bordeaux, Club Brugge, and Metalist Kharkiv. His penalty against Metalist Kharkiv secured a 1–0 win for Newcastle.
He scored in a 2–0 win against Morecambe in the League Cup in August 2013. His younger brother, Sammy Ameobi, scored the other goal. Shola scored his last goals for Newcastle against Swansea City and Cardiff City in April 2014.
On 23 May 2014, Newcastle United announced that Shola would leave the club. He had played for the Tyneside club for 14 years.
Playing for Other Clubs
Gaziantep BB (Turkey)
On 11 August 2014, Shola signed a one-year contract with Turkish club Gaziantep Büyükşehir Belediyespor. He played his first game on 13 September. He scored his first goal from a penalty on 19 September.
He left the club on 29 December 2014 for family reasons. He played 11 games and scored 4 goals there.
Crystal Palace
On 29 January 2015, Shola returned to the Premier League. He signed with Crystal Palace until the end of the season. He was signed by Alan Pardew, who had been his manager at Newcastle. He made his debut for Crystal Palace in February 2015.
In June 2015, his contract ended, and he left Crystal Palace.
Bolton Wanderers
On 23 October 2015, Shola joined Championship team Bolton Wanderers. He made his debut the next day and scored a goal. He left Bolton in January 2016 when his contract ended. He even offered to play for free, but the club could not accept due to rules.
Fleetwood Town
On 12 February 2016, Shola signed with Fleetwood Town. He played for them until the end of the season.
Notts County
On 3 February 2017, Shola joined Notts County. He signed a new contract with them in June 2017. He was released by Notts County at the end of the 2017–18 season.
Return to Newcastle United
On 22 June 2019, Shola Ameobi returned to Newcastle United. He took on a new role as 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. Both of them are also footballers.
His father, Dr. John Ameobi, is a pastor. Shola and his brothers grew up with a strong faith. Shola is also involved with CSW, an organization that works for religious freedom.
International Career
Shola Ameobi played for the England under-21 team for three years. He scored seven goals between 2000 and 2003. He is one of the top goal scorers for the England under-21 team.
In 2009, Shola said he wanted to play for Nigeria. In November 2011, FIFA allowed him to play for Nigeria.
He received his first call-up for the Nigeria national team in November 2012. He made his debut on 14 November, coming on as a substitute. He helped set up a goal for Nigeria in that game.
He scored his first international goal for Nigeria on 10 September 2013. This was in a friendly game against Burkina Faso. He scored his second goal against Italy in November 2013.
In May 2014, he was chosen for Nigeria's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He played in two games as a substitute during the tournament. Nigeria was knocked out by France.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Newcastle United | 2000–01 | Premier League | 20 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 22 | 2 | |
| 2001–02 | Premier League | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 25 | 5 | |
| 2002–03 | Premier League | 28 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 39 | 8 | |
| 2003–04 | Premier League | 26 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 41 | 10 | |
| 2004–05 | Premier League | 31 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 45 | 7 | |
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 30 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 9 | |
| 2006–07 | Premier League | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 5 | |
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 22 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 22 | 4 | ||
| 2009–10 | Championship | 18 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 21 | 11 | ||
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 28 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | — | 30 | 9 | ||
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 27 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 30 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 35 | 4 | |
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 29 | 3 | ||
| Total | 312 | 53 | 19 | 3 | 15 | 8 | 51 | 15 | 397 | 79 | ||
| Stoke City (loan) | 2007–08 | Championship | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |
| Gaziantep BB | 2014–15 | TFF First League | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 4 | ||
| Crystal Palace | 2014–15 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |
| Bolton Wanderers | 2015–16 | Championship | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 2 | |
| Fleetwood Town | 2015–16 | League One | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 1 | |
| Notts County | 2016–17 | League Two | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 4 | |
| 2017–18 | League Two | 34 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 36 | 6 | ||
| Total | 51 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 10 | ||
| Career total | 402 | 70 | 23 | 3 | 15 | 8 | 51 | 15 | 491 | 96 | ||
International Appearances
| Nigeria | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013 | 4 | 2 |
| 2014 | 5 | 0 |
| Total | 10 | 2 |
Honours and Awards
Newcastle United
- EFL Championship: 2009–10
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2006
Individual Awards
- 'Wor Jackie' Award: 2000–01
See also
In Spanish: Shola Ameobi para niños
