Runs to Indonesia for Refuge

GLOBAL  SOCCER

Former Super Eagles ace, Osaze Odemwingie, made an unceremonious exit from Rotherham United via a text message to his manager after a short spell at the English club. On Monday, he was unveiled by an Indonesian club, Madura United. Many are worried about Odemwingie’s new port of call. Does this mean he may never play top flight football again, Kunle Adewale writes

Osaze Odemwingie on Monday joined Indonesia’s top-flight club, Madura United, to help them navigate League 1. The former Nigerian international who had featured for La Louvière, Lille, Lokomotiv Moscow, West Bromwich Albion, Cardiff City, Stoke City, Bristol City and Rotherham United now joins the likes of Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel, Odion Ighalo, Obafemi Martins that are plying their trade in Asia.

Call him the journeyman of Nigerian football and one would not be far from the obvious. Since his breakthrough from the then Nigerian Premier League side, Bendel Insurance to Belgian club, La Louviere, Odemwingie had gone on to play for seven other European clubs. It was therefore no surprise to many when Osaze turned his attention to Indonesia.

The 35-year-old Nigerian winger will be tested first in a few exhibition matches in Cilacap, Central Java and Yogyakarta.

“The agreement with the player is 99 per cent complete as we’ve agreed on the pre-contract conditions,” Madura United team manager, Haruna Soemitro, said via the club’s social media accounts.

“Odemwingie’s quality conforms to the team’s current needs, yet we need to see his performance during the pre-season matches in Cilacap and Yogyakarta next week,” Soemitro added.

When Odemwingie signed a short-term contract with Rotherham United after an uneventful stint with Stoke City, many saw the move as new lease of life for the Beijing Olympics silver medalist to rediscover his form but it was not to be as loss of form and indiscipline characterised his stay with the Millers.

With offers not coming from main stream European clubs, speculation about his next port of call had been a subject of discussion, with many of the opinion that it might be another “missionary journey” this time to the Far East or United States, which are generally considered as the retirement haven for players.

Paul Okuku, in a telephone chat with THISDAY from his base in the United States noted that it was not totally over for the former Bendel Insurance player as far European football was concerned, but he admitted that age was no more on his side to contend with the physical and tactical nature of European football.

“Though I have to admit that age is not really on his side and injury had not really helped matters, with determination and right frame of mind he can still play in top flight European football. He however has to be in the right shape to contend with the physicality of European football.

“After all, we’ve seen players play at the highest level at age 35 and above. Luigi Buffon is still playing in the World Cup qualifiers for Italy even at the age of 39, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is above 35 and still doing well for Manchester United. So, Odemwingie could still play at the top level in Europe if he conditions himself well.

“However, if he feels it’s time to have a stint in the Far East; it’s still not a bad idea. After all, there are players in the league in these countries that are still representing their countries very well,” Okoku said.

Odemwingie was born in Tashkent, Uzbek, to a Nigerian father (Peter Odemwingie Snr.) and a Russian mother (Raisa), both of whom were medical students. He moved with his family to Nigeria when he was two years old before returning to Russia to complete his secondary education. Whilst living in Russia, he played in the youth teams at KAMAZ and CSKA Moscow. At the age of 17, he moved back to Nigeria and after spending a short time with amateurs AS Racines Lagos, he became a professional with Nigeria Premier League side, Bendel Insurance.

After an unsuccessful trial with Anderlecht, he signed for La Louviere in 2003 and made his mark by helping the club to win the Belgian Cup in his first season, which also earned the club qualification into the UEFA Cup.

Scoring nine goals in 44 appearances attracted the attention of the French Ligue 1 side, Lille and before long, he was a starter in the first team playing for the French side. Famous for his technique and pace, the Nigerian player was monitored by a number of prestigious European clubs.

In 2007, he signed for Lokomotiv Moscow for a reported fee of US$14 million on a four-year contract. In three seasons for Lokomotiv, Odemwingie became the driving force of the attack and one of their most important players. During his time there he managed 21 goals in the Russian Premier League from 75 games.

In 2010, Odemwingie signed for English Premier League club West Bromwich Albion for an undisclosed fee on a two-year contract, with the option of a third year in the club’s favour. Later in August, it was announced that Odemwingie had signed a new three-year agreement with West Bromwich Albion, after a £4,000,000 bid from Wigan Athletic was turned down by the club.

In 2013, Odemwingie signed a two-year contract with Cardiff City for £2.25 million. Speaking after the move Odemwingie stated that he was eager for a fresh start in his career.

He developed a good relationship with manager Malky Mackay who stated that Odemwingie “is a joy to work with.” However Mackay was replaced with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in January 2014 and Odemwingie fell out of favour.

In January 2014, Odemwingie joined Stoke City on an 18-month contract in a player-exchange with Kenwyne Jones, a move he described as a “step forward”.

A knee ligament injury however ruled him out for most of the season, managing eight appearances. After struggling for playing time with Stoke in 2015-16, Odemwingie joined Championship side Bristol City on loan in March 2016. He played seven times for the Robins scoring twice. He was released by Stoke at the end of the 2015–16 season.

Odemwingie represented Nigeria at the 2004, 2006 and 2008 Nations Cup. In 2008, he was selected as an over-age player for Nigeria at the Beijing Olympic, scoring in the quarter-final against Côte d’Ivoire as the team earned the silver medal after losing the final to defending champions, Argentina,

Odemwingie was also part of the Nigeria team to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa but dispute with Stephen Keshi cost him a place to the 2013 AFCON, which Nigeria won. He was however named in the team to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, which may as well be his last appearance in the colours of Nigeria.