Obafemi Martins
|
Martins with Levante in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins | ||
| Date of birth | 28 October 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Lagos, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2000 | Ebedei | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2001 | Reggiana | 2 | (0) |
| 2001–2006 | Inter Milan | 88 | (28) |
| 2006–2009 | Newcastle United | 88 | (28) |
| 2009–2010 | VfL Wolfsburg | 16 | (6) |
| 2010–2012 | Rubin Kazan | 20 | (3) |
| 2011 | → Birmingham City (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Levante | 21 | (7) |
| 2013–2015 | Seattle Sounders FC | 72 | (40) |
| 2016–2018 | Shanghai Shenhua | 40 | (19) |
| 2020 | Shanghai Shenhua | 4 | (0) |
| 2020 | Wuhan | 6 | (1) |
| Total | 361 | (132) | |
| International career | |||
| 2004–2015 | Nigeria | 42 | (18) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins (/ˌoʊbəˈfɛmi/ oh-buh-FEH-mee /ˌɑːkɪnˈwʊnmi/ ah-kin-WOON-mee /ˈmɑːrtɪns/ MAR-tinz; born 28 October 1984) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a forward.
After leaving Nigeria for Italy at age 16, he played for a number of top-division clubs around Europe. He began his senior career in 2002 at Serie A club Inter Milan, before he moved to Premier League club Newcastle United in 2006, and then to Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg in 2009. Having joined Russian Premier League side Rubin Kazan in 2010, they loaned him to Birmingham City in 2011. He spent a season with La Liga club Levante, he played for Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer from 2013 to 2015, before spending several years in the Chinese Super League with Shanghai Shenhua and Wuhan.
In club football, Martins won the Serie A title, the Italian Cup (twice), and the Italian Super Cup, all with Inter. With Birmingham he scored the winning goal in the 2011 Football League Cup final. Martins played in the UEFA Champions League with Inter, Wolfsburg and Rubin. His highest scoring league seasons saw him score 11 goals in the 2004–05 Serie A, and 17 in both the 2006–07 Premier League and 2014 MLS. In international football, Martins was in the Nigerian squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2006, 2008 and 2010, and for the FIFA World Cup in 2010.