JOHN UTAKA
Utaka has played for several clubs across three continents, first for Arab Contractors
and subsequently Ismaily of Egypt, then spending a season playing for Al-Sadd of Qatar, before joining Racing Lens and later Rennes in France. During his career he has mainly been utilised as a pacy winger making a very effective element in a team's counter attacking.Utaka struggled to make an impact at the start of his Rennes stint. However, he took advantage of the absence of fellow striker Alexander Frei through injury to make his breakthrough. In February 2006, he scored two consecutive hat-tricks, against Lens and Lyon, and as a result received L'Equipe's player of the month award.
In Egypt, while with Ismaily, Utaka earned cult status with the local fans. They used to chant "Oh Oh Oh Utaka, Oh Oh Oh Utaka" during the matches.[citation needed] He played alongside the likes of Mohammed Barakat, Islam El-Shater, and captain Mohamed Salah Abo Greisha under the guidance of Mohsen Saleh, later appointed coach of Egypt.
Utaka joined Portsmouth on a four-year deal in July 2007, for a fee of around £7,000,000.[2] He scored his first goal on 11 August 2007 in a game against newly promoted Derby County. Some sources claim he became the club's record signing.[3]
On 17 May 2008, Portsmouth won the FA Cup with a 1–0 victory over Cardiff City. Utaka provided the cross for the winning goal which was scored by Nwankwo Kanu.[4]
He went on to have a poor 2008–09 season but on 27 June 2009 he confirmed he would be staying at the club for at least another season.[citation needed]
The salary being paid to Utaka become a talking point in light of Portsmouth FC's financial woes. With news agencies reporting an alleged 80 thousand Sterling per week salary for Utaka a reflection of the financial mismanagement of the football club. Utaka has since hit out at these reports, claiming that he earns one third of that figure.[5]
On 23 January 2010, Utaka scored both goals in Portsmouth's 2–1 win over Sunderland in the FA Cup 4th Round.[6]
On 29 January 2011, Utaka signed for French first division side Montpellier, agreeing a two-and-a-half year deal for an undisclosed fee.[7]
Neville congratulates Scholes after his winner against City last season.
Manchester United's veteran midfielder Paul Scholes believes that FA Cup semi-final opponents Manchester City are not his club's main rivals. The two teams meet on Saturday at Wembley with United aiming to win the Premier League,
the FA Cup and the Champions League this season.City, on the other hand, have only the FA Cup to play for.
"When they are fourth or fifth [in the league], I don't think they can be classed as a main rival," said Scholes.
"Our main rivals are obviously Arsenal and Chelsea. I think City are just a rival because of where they are [geographically] and Liverpool the same."
City will have to beat United without injured skipper Carlos Tevez as they attempt to win their first major trophy since the 1976 League Cup but Sir Alex Ferguson's team go into this encounter missing the suspended Wayne Rooney.
City will also hope to overturn a wretched run against their arch rivals - they have won only twice in the last 10 meetings.
One of those defeats was in the Premier League last season where Scholes' injury-time header at Eastlands earned United a crushing 1-0 victory.
The 36-year-old midfielder said that goal was "one of the best things I have ever done" and he is under no illusions as to the significance of Saturday's tie.
"It's an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, it's massive, there will be 30,000 fans from each side... it's the biggest game we've had against City for a while. Whoever loses will be devastated," added Scholes.
"I remember the 5-1 defeat in 1989 and Andy Hinchcliffe scoring that goal. It's painful. I can also remember going to Maine Road and losing 3-1 [in 2002] and it's horrible. You hate losing against anybody, but City? It's bad."
Scholes has long been lauded as one of the greatest English midfielders of his generation by many of the world's best players but he added that he would wait until the end of the season before making a decision about his future.
"I really don't know what I am going to do yet," he said. "I've got these games to think about now and I will decide from there.
"People always say you should play as long as you can but there comes a time when you can't physically do it. I'm wary of that. I just want to make sure it is done at the right time."
3. Taribo West
West's creative styling may not be the most flashy of our picks but it makes the No3 spot thanks to the fact he kept it for his entirecareer .
Whereas some players some become bored or embarrassed by their dodgy looks, Nigeria defender West stuck to his guns.
His playing career spanned almost 15 years and included illustrious names such as Inter and AC Milan, Auxerre, Derby and... Plymouth.
Taribo is a clear testimony of someone who rose from grass to grace. But for football, he might have ended up as a street urchin. Hence, he never fails to give glories to God at any least opportunity. Even those who helped him build his career have something to show for it.
Recently, the footballer spoke to Saturday Sunsport and revealed how he became a pastor and how God used a powerful women of God to track him down. He also spoke of his journey into fame with the round leather game.
How I was called
I got the inspiration to serve God about 10 years ago. It was during the Atlanta Olympic Games in theUnited States of America . There, I ran into a very powerful woman of God, who said she heard the voice of God, which asked her to come to our base and speak to somebody whom God wanted to use.
When she came, it was like a fairy tale, but after we won the Olympic gold in the football event, the woman came to me and shared her vision with me. We later talked for a couple of months before she came to my place in Italy and from then, I felt the hand of God in my life, which got me delivered from my bad ways. And till date, the woman has been giving me prophecies and my life has never been the same.
Prayers during matches
Those prayers were not ordinary; football matches are circumvented with circumstances and great challenges. It is a power game, and from my experience, most people in the field play the game with all kinds of things.
However, I came to realise that something is more powerful and beneficial than the game itself. So, as a player in the field, one of the things which gave me true encourage, was the Word (of God). It inspires and helps to push me forward.
Against Cameroon at the Nations Cup in 2000 for instance, somehow, every one of us knew that something was wrong. That day wasn’t just our day. I prayed through the weeks and months before the game, but that day, I had to struggle in my prayers.
However, God gave me a sign, which helped me to understand that the day would be a difficult one for Nigeria. All the same, God proved that He was still God. In that game, we were two goals down before Tijani Babangida came from the bench and scored our first goal before Jay Jay Okocha got us the equaliser. After the regulation time, we went into penalty shootouts, but unfortunately, we lost at last.
That was a very sad day for me, but the Bible says, in everything, give thanks to the Lord. So, at the end of the day, I was happy. Though we went for the gold, we came home with silver, which I took in good fate. However, I was convinced that at the Lord’s appointed time, we would get to our destination. So, I was happy in spite of all the odds.
Journey into football
My interest in football started in Port Harcourt. As a young boy, I would leave home very early in the morning to play football on the streets. From the streets, I started going to the stadium. In fact, at a point, I was like a stadium boy, following all those big players like Richard Owobokiri, Davidson Owumi, Rowland Ohufe, David Ngodigha and others around. Mymates and I were like ball boys to them. And in the process, they created a feeder team for Sharks of Port Harcourt, which was handled by Coach Monday Sinclair.
I started there as a young player and when I realised I had the needed talent for the game, I decided to take football as a career.
I came toLagos and joined Ibukun Oluwa FC owned by Chief Adewale Teluwo, whom I owe a lot. We were three that met him the same day and he asked us to tell him what we wanted to do. I told him that I would want to further my education.
I was not really going to school regularly then because I had no sponsor. So, I was more into playing football than going to school. But I wanted to go to school.
Chief Teluwo took us as players in his club and as well put us in schools. He was also paying us a monthly stipend of N80 each.
In 1989, Chief Teluwo bought a team in the amateur league. Then, there were quite some good teams in the amateur division like Enyimba, Kano Pillars, NEPA of Lagos, First Bank, etc. So, the league was highly competitive. We played in the league that season and I think we came out either eighth or ninth on the table at that first attempt.
I played a lot of games for the club, we played against Sharks also. By then, Sinclair had been promoted to chief coach of Sharks and he thereafter invited me to play for Sharks.
I played for the Port Harcourt team for one season and joined Enugu Rangers, where I came to limelight. I played for Rangers for one year and moved to Julius Berger, where I also played for one year. It was when I was with Berger that we had the African Cup of Nations competition in Mauritius. We didn’t really have a good tournament then, but I played just a game.
In Mauritius, I came in as a substitute during the second half and played between 10 to 15 minutes. It was there that a football manager saw me. The man said he went to Nigeria to look for a very good youth defender, who was doing very well in the league and somebody directed him to me. I think it was Samson Siasia that told him that Taribo West was the stuff he was searching for.
So, the manager came to our camp and followed me to the tournament. He watched me during those 10 to 15 minutes I played in Mauritius and thereafter, invited me to France for trials.
I did very well in the trials in France and from there, I signed a three-year semi-professional contract, but in my fourth year, I signed my professional contract. That was how I started my professional career with Auxerre.
I spent four years and half in Auxerre before I signed another contract to play for Inter Milan. It was in Inter that I exploded… (prolonged laughter).
Career
I still have about one or two years to play football. I’ve not really called it quits, but after my experience in Plymouth, I just decided to go home to do God’s work, because in the past few years, God has revealed so many things to me and I see myself battling against His directives.
I just believe God, and when a man fails to listen to Him, He has a way of taking his peace away. In dealing with God, if you don’t want peace, you take trouble.
I just decided to work in the ministry for a while, but I’m praying that He should just allow me to play for one or two more years before I quit finally.
Utaka has played for several clubs across three continents, first for Arab Contractors
and subsequently Ismaily of Egypt, then spending a season playing for Al-Sadd of Qatar, before joining Racing Lens and later Rennes in France. During his career he has mainly been utilised as a pacy winger making a very effective element in a team's counter attacking.
In Egypt, while with Ismaily, Utaka earned cult status with the local fans. They used to chant "Oh Oh Oh Utaka, Oh Oh Oh Utaka" during the matches.[citation needed] He played alongside the likes of Mohammed Barakat, Islam El-Shater, and captain Mohamed Salah Abo Greisha under the guidance of Mohsen Saleh, later appointed coach of Egypt.
Utaka joined Portsmouth on a four-year deal in July 2007, for a fee of around £7,000,000.[2] He scored his first goal on 11 August 2007 in a game against newly promoted Derby County. Some sources claim he became the club's record signing.[3]
On 17 May 2008, Portsmouth won the FA Cup with a 1–0 victory over Cardiff City. Utaka provided the cross for the winning goal which was scored by Nwankwo Kanu.[4]
He went on to have a poor 2008–09 season but on 27 June 2009 he confirmed he would be staying at the club for at least another season.[citation needed]
The salary being paid to Utaka become a talking point in light of Portsmouth FC's financial woes. With news agencies reporting an alleged 80 thousand Sterling per week salary for Utaka a reflection of the financial mismanagement of the football club. Utaka has since hit out at these reports, claiming that he earns one third of that figure.[5]
On 23 January 2010, Utaka scored both goals in Portsmouth's 2–1 win over Sunderland in the FA Cup 4th Round.[6]
On 29 January 2011, Utaka signed for French first division side Montpellier, agreeing a two-and-a-half year deal for an undisclosed fee.[7]
[edit] International career
Utaka plays for Nigeria and was a participant at the 2002 World Cup.[citation needed] He started four of Nigeria's six games in the 2006 African Cup of Nations, in which Nigeria finished in third place. He was also part of the Nigeria National Team that participated in the 2010 World Cup but was an unused substitute in the tournament.Manchester City are not our main rivals - Paul Scholes
FA Cup semi-final: Manchester City v Manchester United
- Venue: Wembley
- Date: Saturday 16 April
- Kick-off: 1715 BST
- Coverage: Live on BBC Radio 5 live & online, live text commentary on BBC website; live on ITV1
Neville congratulates Scholes after his winner against City last season.
Manchester United's veteran midfielder Paul Scholes believes that FA Cup semi-final opponents Manchester City are not his club's main rivals. The two teams meet on Saturday at Wembley with United aiming to win the Premier League,
the FA Cup and the Champions League this season.City, on the other hand, have only the FA Cup to play for.
"When they are fourth or fifth [in the league], I don't think they can be classed as a main rival," said Scholes.
"Our main rivals are obviously Arsenal and Chelsea. I think City are just a rival because of where they are [geographically] and Liverpool the same."
City will have to beat United without injured skipper Carlos Tevez as they attempt to win their first major trophy since the 1976 League Cup but Sir Alex Ferguson's team go into this encounter missing the suspended Wayne Rooney.
City will also hope to overturn a wretched run against their arch rivals - they have won only twice in the last 10 meetings.
One of those defeats was in the Premier League last season where Scholes' injury-time header at Eastlands earned United a crushing 1-0 victory.
The 36-year-old midfielder said that goal was "one of the best things I have ever done" and he is under no illusions as to the significance of Saturday's tie.
"It's an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, it's massive, there will be 30,000 fans from each side... it's the biggest game we've had against City for a while. Whoever loses will be devastated," added Scholes.
"I remember the 5-1 defeat in 1989 and Andy Hinchcliffe scoring that goal. It's painful. I can also remember going to Maine Road and losing 3-1 [in 2002] and it's horrible. You hate losing against anybody, but City? It's bad."
Scholes has long been lauded as one of the greatest English midfielders of his generation by many of the world's best players but he added that he would wait until the end of the season before making a decision about his future.
"I really don't know what I am going to do yet," he said. "I've got these games to think about now and I will decide from there.
"People always say you should play as long as you can but there comes a time when you can't physically do it. I'm wary of that. I just want to make sure it is done at the right time."
Taribo West
3. Taribo West West's creative styling may not be the most flashy of our picks but it makes the No3 spot thanks to the fact he kept it for his entire
Whereas some players some become bored or embarrassed by their dodgy looks, Nigeria defender West stuck to his guns.
His playing career spanned almost 15 years and included illustrious names such as Inter and AC Milan, Auxerre, Derby and... Plymouth.
God used a woman to capture me, says Taribo West
Taribo West means different things to different folks. To some people, he was a rugged defender, who went all out to achieve his ambition, while to others, he is an instrument in the Lord’s vineyard.Taribo is a clear testimony of someone who rose from grass to grace. But for football, he might have ended up as a street urchin. Hence, he never fails to give glories to God at any least opportunity. Even those who helped him build his career have something to show for it.
Recently, the footballer spoke to Saturday Sunsport and revealed how he became a pastor and how God used a powerful women of God to track him down. He also spoke of his journey into fame with the round leather game.
How I was called
I got the inspiration to serve God about 10 years ago. It was during the Atlanta Olympic Games in the
When she came, it was like a fairy tale, but after we won the Olympic gold in the football event, the woman came to me and shared her vision with me. We later talked for a couple of months before she came to my place in Italy and from then, I felt the hand of God in my life, which got me delivered from my bad ways. And till date, the woman has been giving me prophecies and my life has never been the same.
Those prayers were not ordinary; football matches are circumvented with circumstances and great challenges. It is a power game, and from my experience, most people in the field play the game with all kinds of things.
However, I came to realise that something is more powerful and beneficial than the game itself. So, as a player in the field, one of the things which gave me true encourage, was the Word (of God). It inspires and helps to push me forward.
Against Cameroon at the Nations Cup in 2000 for instance, somehow, every one of us knew that something was wrong. That day wasn’t just our day. I prayed through the weeks and months before the game, but that day, I had to struggle in my prayers.
However, God gave me a sign, which helped me to understand that the day would be a difficult one for Nigeria. All the same, God proved that He was still God. In that game, we were two goals down before Tijani Babangida came from the bench and scored our first goal before Jay Jay Okocha got us the equaliser. After the regulation time, we went into penalty shootouts, but unfortunately, we lost at last.
That was a very sad day for me, but the Bible says, in everything, give thanks to the Lord. So, at the end of the day, I was happy. Though we went for the gold, we came home with silver, which I took in good fate. However, I was convinced that at the Lord’s appointed time, we would get to our destination. So, I was happy in spite of all the odds.
Journey into football
My interest in football started in Port Harcourt. As a young boy, I would leave home very early in the morning to play football on the streets. From the streets, I started going to the stadium. In fact, at a point, I was like a stadium boy, following all those big players like Richard Owobokiri, Davidson Owumi, Rowland Ohufe, David Ngodigha and others around. My
I started there as a young player and when I realised I had the needed talent for the game, I decided to take football as a career.
I came to
I was not really going to school regularly then because I had no sponsor. So, I was more into playing football than going to school. But I wanted to go to school.
Chief Teluwo took us as players in his club and as well put us in schools. He was also paying us a monthly stipend of N80 each.
In 1989, Chief Teluwo bought a team in the amateur league. Then, there were quite some good teams in the amateur division like Enyimba, Kano Pillars, NEPA of Lagos, First Bank, etc. So, the league was highly competitive. We played in the league that season and I think we came out either eighth or ninth on the table at that first attempt.
I played a lot of games for the club, we played against Sharks also. By then, Sinclair had been promoted to chief coach of Sharks and he thereafter invited me to play for Sharks.
I played for the Port Harcourt team for one season and joined Enugu Rangers, where I came to limelight. I played for Rangers for one year and moved to Julius Berger, where I also played for one year. It was when I was with Berger that we had the African Cup of Nations competition in Mauritius. We didn’t really have a good tournament then, but I played just a game.
In Mauritius, I came in as a substitute during the second half and played between 10 to 15 minutes. It was there that a football manager saw me. The man said he went to Nigeria to look for a very good youth defender, who was doing very well in the league and somebody directed him to me. I think it was Samson Siasia that told him that Taribo West was the stuff he was searching for.
So, the manager came to our camp and followed me to the tournament. He watched me during those 10 to 15 minutes I played in Mauritius and thereafter, invited me to France for trials.
I did very well in the trials in France and from there, I signed a three-year semi-professional contract, but in my fourth year, I signed my professional contract. That was how I started my professional career with Auxerre.
I spent four years and half in Auxerre before I signed another contract to play for Inter Milan. It was in Inter that I exploded… (prolonged laughter).
Career
I still have about one or two years to play football. I’ve not really called it quits, but after my experience in Plymouth, I just decided to go home to do God’s work, because in the past few years, God has revealed so many things to me and I see myself battling against His directives.
I just believe God, and when a man fails to listen to Him, He has a way of taking his peace away. In dealing with God, if you don’t want peace, you take trouble.
I just decided to work in the ministry for a while, but I’m praying that He should just allow me to play for one or two more years before I quit finally.
Nwankwo Kanu
 |
|
Club career history | |
| Ajax Amsterdam (Holland), Inter Milan (Italy), Arsenal FC (England), Inter Milan (England), Arsenal FC (England), West Brom (England) | |
Honours | |
| 1995 Champions League winner (Ajax) 2002 Premiership Champions (Arsenal) 2004 Premiership Champions (Arsenal) 2002 FA Cup winner (Arsenal) 2000 UEFA Cup Finals (Arsenal) 2001 FA Cup Finals (Arsenal) | |
Biography | |
| Nwankwo Kanu (born August 1, 1976 in Owerri, Nigeria) is a professional footballer, currently playing for West Bromwich Albion in the English Premier League. He is known for his height, which is 198 cm (6'6"), and his silky ball skills which he often utilizes to break down defences. His unique, unorthodox method of play (taking on defences alone with his vast talents and skills) is deemed to be too slow and time-wasting and at times can even be more frustrating than entertaining to those who watch him play, though when it works, it usually reaps results. He is said to be one of the most talented footballers ever to come out of the African continent. He is usually mentioned alongside the likes of other African greats such as George Weah and Abedi Pele. He is the most highly-decorated African footballer in footballing history, with over 10 awards to boast of. Kanu began his career, aged fifteen, at First Division club Federation Works before moving to Iwuanyanwu National in 1992. After a notable performance at the U-17 World Championships he was signed by Ajax Amsterdam in 1993 for €207,047. He made his Ajax debut in 1994 and went on to play 54 times for the Dutch side, scoring 25 goals; Kanu came on as a sub in Ajax's 1995 Champions League final win over AC Milan. In 1996, Ajax sold him to Serie A side Internazionale for around $4.7 million; that summer he captained the Nigerian team that won gold at the Olympics, famously scoring two late goals in the semi-finals against powerhouses Brazil to overturn a 2-3 scoreline into a 4-3 win in extra time. Kanu was also named African Footballer of the Year for that year. However, soon after returning from the Olympics, Kanu underwent a medical examination at Inter revealed a serious heart defect; he underwent surgery in November 1996 to replace an aortic valve and did not return to his club until April 1997. In February 1999, after just twelve games and one goal for Inter, Kanu was signed by Arsenal for approximately £4.2 million. His debut for Arsenal, against Sheffield United in the FA Cup, was a highly unusual match. With the score 1-1 and ten minutes to go, the United goalkeeper kicked the ball out of touch so that treatment could be given to an injured player. When the ball was thrown back into play by Ray Parlour, although it was intended for the United 'keeper, Kanu was unaware of the circumstances. Thinking it to be an attacking move, he chased the throw-in down the right wing unchallenged, and centred the ball for Marc Overmars, who promptly scored to make the match 2-1. Immediately after the match Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger offered to right the error and replay the match; in the end, Arsenal won that match 2-1 as well. Despite the events overshadowing his debut, Kanu's career was quickly revived at Arsenal, especially after the departure of Nicolas Anelka in the summer of 1999. Kanu became known for scoring extravagant goals – against Tottenham Hotspur, with his back to goal he lobbed the ball over Luke Young's head, before turning the young defender and scoring. Other memorable goals included a hat-trick against Chelsea, in which one of the goals was scored from the goal line, to win a derby match 3-2 after being 2-0 down. Following his amazing performance the headline pun after the game was "Kanu believe it". He also scored a spectacular backheel flick against Middlesbrough and an amazing goal against Deportivo La Coruna where given a one-on-one with the La Coruna goalkeeper, ran in a straight line towards the goal completely fooling him in the process. He was named African Footballer of the Year for the second time in 1999, and in 1999-2000 he scored 17 times in 50 matches for the Gunners. However, Kanu's appearances for Arsenal gradually became less frequent, particularly after the emergence of Thierry Henry as Arsenal's first choice striker, and he became mainly used as a substitute. Despite this, Kanu won the Double with Arsenal in 2002, an FA Cup in 2003 (as an unused sub) and the Premier League title in 2004. In all he played 197 games for Arsenal (nearly half of them as a substitute), scoring 44 goals. In the 2004 offseason, after failing to get his contract with Arsenal extended, he moved to West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer. In the 2004/05 season, Kanu played at home for West Bromwich Albion against Middlesbrough, incredibly missing a shot from less than one yards off the goal line. A cross sent across the face of the goal by teammate Geoff Horsfield was amazingly knocked over the crossbar by Kanu in injury time. Kanu was not under any pressure from the Middlesbrough defence and had the ball rolling perfectly to him, but in a moment of panic, he sent the ball over the bar. West Bromwich Albion lost the match 1-2, and it was manager Bryan Robson's first game in charge, against his former club Middlesbrough. The miss was dubiously crowned 'Miss of the Season' by many television stations in the end-of-season reviews. On 15th October 2005, Nwankwo Kanu returned to haunt his former club Arsenal, playing for West Bromwich Albion at home against Arsenal and scored an equaliser in the 38th minute against his former employees. West Bromwich Albion won the match 2-1, their first home win over Arsenal in 33 years. Kanu had played for Nigeria since 1994, making his debut against Sweden in a friendly. He (as of September 2005) has over 40 caps caps and has scored more than 10 goals for his country. As well as playing in the Olympics, Kanu participated in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. However, Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup as they crashed out to Angola, on head-to-head results after finishing level on points. Kanu played an influential part as a "supersub" in Nigeria's qualifying campaign, and turned several games around in an attempt to salvage a World Cup spot but despite Nigeria's 5-1 home win over Zimbabwe even as Kanu scored a penalty goal and created another, Angola beat Rwanda 1-0 with just minutes to go to top Group 4. |
