Stephen Makinwa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Stephen Makinwa

Makinwa with Lazio
Personal information
Full name	Stephen Ayodele Makinwa
Date of birth	(1983-07-26) 26 July 1983 (age 42)
Place of birth	Lagos, Nigeria
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
	Ebedei
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2000–2001	Reggiana	0	(0)
2000–2001	→ Conegliano (loan)	8	(2)
2001–2002	Como	0	(0)
2002–2003	Reggiana	29	(6)
2003–2005	Genoa	18	(6)
2003–2004	→ Como (loan)	21	(6)
2004	→ Modena (loan)	17	(1)
2005	Atalanta	17	(6)
2005–2006	Palermo	23	(5)
2006–2012	Lazio	45	(3)
2008	→ Reggina (loan)	9	(0)
2009	→ Chievo (loan)	9	(1)
2010–2011	→ Larissa (loan)	10	(1)
2012–2013	Carrarese	13	(6)
2013–2014	Beijing Baxy	11	(4)
2014	Gorica	5	(1)
International career
2004–2008	Nigeria	18	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Stephen Ayodele Makinwa is a former professional footballer from Nigeria. He was born on July 26, 1983. Stephen played as a forward, which means he was usually trying to score goals for his team. He also played for the Nigerian national football team. His middle name, Ayodele, has a special meaning: "Joy has come home."

Stephen Makinwa's Football Journey

Starting His Career

Stephen Makinwa was born in Lagos, Nigeria. He was discovered in 2000 by an Italian team called Reggiana. At that time, he was playing for a local Nigerian team called Ebedei. His childhood friend and teammate, Obafemi Martins, was also on that team.

Stephen began his football adventure in Italy by joining Serie D team Conegliano on loan. In 2001, he moved to Serie B team Como. He didn't play any games for Como at first.

In 2002, he went back to Reggiana, which was in Serie C1. The next season, he returned to Como and became a regular player.

Playing for Genoa and Other Teams

In August 2003, Stephen joined Genoa. For the first part of that season, he stayed on loan at Como. In January 2004, Makinwa was loaned to Modena. This is where he made his first appearance in Serie A, which is Italy's top football league.

During the 2004–05 season, he returned to Genoa and scored 6 goals in the first half of the Serie B season.

Time at Atalanta and Palermo

In January 2005, Stephen moved to Atalanta. Even though Atalanta was moved down to a lower league in June 2005, the club decided to keep him.

In July 2005, Makinwa joined Palermo. He played for Palermo for one season. He scored 5 goals in 23 league matches and helped Palermo qualify for European competitions. He also scored 3 goals in the UEFA Cup.

Playing for Lazio

Stephen then joined S.S. Lazio in the summer of 2006. He was reunited with his former coach from Atalanta, Delio Rossi. In June 2007, Lazio fully bought his contract. He also signed a new five-year contract with them.

In the 2007–08 season, Makinwa played in the UEFA Champions League for the first time. However, Lazio was knocked out in the group stages, and he didn't score any goals. After six months, Lazio loaned him to Reggina, but he still didn't score.

He started the 2008–09 season as a player who mostly came off the bench for Lazio. He made only four substitute appearances. In January 2009, Makinwa was loaned to Chievo until the end of the season. Chievo decided not to sign him permanently, so he went back to Lazio for the 2009–10 season.

Later Career

On July 15, 2010, Makinwa joined Larissa in Greece on loan from Lazio. After his contract with Lazio ended, Stephen joined the Chinese team Beijing Baxy. He scored 4 goals in his first 9 games there. In July 2014, he signed with ND Gorica, a team in Slovenia.

International Career

Stephen Makinwa played for the Nigerian national team. He played in 14 international games after making his first appearance in 2004.

He played for Nigeria in the 2006 African Cup of Nations, where his team finished third. Two years later, he played in the 2008 African Cup of Nations, where Nigeria lost to Ghana.

Both Stephen Makinwa and his national teammate Obafemi Martins were known for their exciting goal celebrations. They would often do several somersaults in a row after scoring!

Career Statistics

See also

In Spanish: Stephen Makinwa para niños