Obafemi Martins (born October 28, 1984) is a former Nigerian professional footballer who played striker for the Super Eagles of Nigeria. After leaving Nigeria for Italy at the age of 16, he played for several top-tier clubs throughout Europe. He began his senior career in 2002 with Serie A club Inter Milan, then transferred to Premier League team Newcastle United in 2006, and finally to Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg in 2009.
Rubin Kazan loaned him to Birmingham City in January 2011. He spent a season with La Liga club Levante, then played for Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer from 2013 to 2015, scoring 40 goals, before spending three years in China with Shanghai Shenhua Wuhan.
Martins won the Serie A title, the Italian Cup (twice), and the Italian Super Cup while with Inter. With Birmingham, he scored the winning goal in the 2011 Football League Cup Final. He has played football in Europe for Inter, Newcastle, and Wolfsburg. His most productive league seasons are 11 goals in the 2004-05 Serie A, 17 in the 2006-07 Premier League, and 2014 MLS. Martins represented Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2006, 2008, and 2010, as well as the FIFA World Cup in 2010.
Obafemi Martins Biography
Obafemi Martins was born on October 28, 1984, in Lagos, Nigeria. Martins had two brothers who played professional football. His older brother, Oladipupo Martins, was a professional footballer who retired in 2009 owing to heart difficulties. He died on August 8, 2011, following a suspected heart attack in Lagos, Nigeria. Martin’s younger brother is John Ronan Martins. The name “Obafemi” means “the king loves me” in Yoruba.
Career
Martins joined the local football club F.C. Ebedei after being seen by manager Churchill Oliseh while playing in the streets of his village. After a year with the club, the player was signed by Serie C club A.C. Reggiana.
After a successful three-month trial, Martins and fellow Ebedei player Stephen Makinwa signed youth contracts with the club in 2000. Martins broke into the first-team squad during his first season in Italy, and later that year, Serie A clubs Perugia and Inter Milan made offers for the forward.
Inter Milan signed Martins in 2001 for a €750,000 transfer fee, and in his first season, he scored 23 goals for the young squad, helping them win the Campionato Nazionale Primavera in the 2001–02 season.
His performance for the youth team earned him his first-team league debut the following season, against Parma on December 22, 2002, which Inter won 2-1. Martins did not make a regular appearance for the first team until the 2002–2003 season. Manager Héctor Cúper gave him his debut UEFA Champions League appearance, coming on as a substitute against Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
He scored his first Champions League goal against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, securing Inter’s participation in the quarterfinals. UEFA later utilised footage of his celebratory somersaults to promote the competition for the next season. He scored again in the semi-final against Inter’s archrivals Milan, but the club was unable to avoid losing on away goals to the eventual victors.
In the championship, he scored once in four games. Martins signed a long-term contract with Inter Milan in 2005 that stretched until 2010 and was valued at approximately €2.5 million per year.
Martins became the first youngster to score in three straight Champions League seasons after scoring in a 3-1 victory over Anderlecht in the 2004-05 group stage. He was also a key player in Inter’s successful Coppa Italia campaign, scoring six goals, including a hat-trick against Bologna, as the competition concluded in victory.
Martins scored 22 goals in 45 matches across all competitions, setting a new personal best; his performance for Inter earned him a place in Nigeria’s 2006 Africa Cup of Nations team.
Although he had some success with Inter, scoring 28 goals in 88 league games and 11 goals in European competitions, the arrivals of Argentinian striker Hernán Crespo, who was brought in on loan from Chelsea, and Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimović, who was bought from Juventus, saw him sold in August 2006.
Following Martins’ transfer request, Premier League club Newcastle United agreed to buy the striker from Inter for €15 million over five years on August 24, 2006. Martins made his Premier League debut on August 27, in a 2-0 loss to Aston Villa, and was stretchered off with a knee injury.
Martins had a terrible dead leg and intestinal haemorrhage. His disappointing first few Newcastle appearances prompted manager Glenn Roeder to come to his support. Martins did, however, score his first goal for Newcastle on September 17, and his goal-scoring form progressively improved after that.
According to reports from January 2007, Chelsea was considering making an offer for Martins’ services following his remarkable form. These reports were then refuted by Martins, who reiterated his commitment to the Magpies. Martins’ 20-yard shot went in during a 2-3 away win over Tottenham Hotspur on January 14.
Sky Sports measured this hit at 84 mph (135 km/h), making it the eighth hardest shot ever recorded in football, according to the Guardian website. This was his 10th goal for Newcastle. Martins finished his debut season on Tyneside with 17 goals in 46 games. Martins scored 35 goals in 104 games across all competitions during his three-year stay on Tyneside.
Newcastle accepted a £9 million proposal from Bundesliga champions VfL Wolfsburg on July 29, 2009. The deal was announced on July 31, with Martins signing a four-year contract. On July 9, 2010, Martins was sold to reigning Russian Premier League champions Rubin Kazan for a reputed €17 million on a three-year deal.
On May 9, 2012, Rubin Kazan won the Russian Cup, giving Martins his first trophy in Russia. He scored three goals in 20 appearances for the Russian team. Martins went on to play for clubs such as Levante, where he scored 7 goals in 21 appearances; the MLS franchise Seattle Sounders, where he scored 40 goals in 72 appearances; and Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua, where he scored 19 goals in 44 games.
Martins’ contract with Shanghai Shenhua was terminated on September 20, 2020, and he joined Chinese Super League club Wuhan Zall on a short-term deal until the conclusion of the season, which was his last known club as a professional footballer.
Martins earned his Nigeria debut at the age of 19 in the 2004 Unity Cup, scoring the second goal of the tri-nation competition held in London.
He was a member of the Nigerian side that finished third at the 2006 African Cup of Nations. Martins scored two goals at the tournament, both against Senegal in the first round. His future with the national team was called into question on several occasions following various incidents of controversy.
In August 2006, the Nigerian Football Association (NFA) website listed his birth date as May 1, 1978, making him 28 years old instead of 21.
The NFA quickly confirmed that it had been an administrative error and regretted any uncertainty it caused. However, when the error cast doubt on his move to Newcastle, Martins threatened to quit playing for the national side.
Despite being ordered to play, Martins did not show up for Ghana’s 4-1 friendly defeat on February 6, 2007. He then explained that he had flown to Lagos to see his ailing mother. The then-Nigerian interim coach Augustine Eguavoen was upset at Martins and threatened to suspend him from the national squad.
On February 14, 2007, Martins apologised for missing the game, but stated that his mother’s health was more important. He also stated that he will be available to play for Nigeria in the future. He returned to the national team on March 24, 2007, playing the entire match against Uganda in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match, which he won.
Martins captained Nigeria for the first time on November 17, 2007, in a friendly against Australia, making his 19th appearance. On November 12, 2009, he scored a remarkable goal in the 83rd minute against Kenya in Nairobi, securing Nigeria’s qualification to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Martins played only two games for Nigeria in the finals in South Africa, totalling 71 minutes without scoring, and has not appeared for the country since.
Martins scored 18 goals in 48 Super Eagles appearances, ranking him fifth in Nigerian national team history from 2004 to 2015.
Obafemi Martins wife
Martins acquired his US green card in 2015, making him a domestic player for MLS roster purposes. He married Ghanaian-Italian Abigail Barwuah, Mario Balotelli’s sister. The couple has a single child, born in 2013.
Obafemi Martins Son
His elder son, Kevin Maussi Martins, who was born on January 31, 2005, followed in his father’s footsteps and now plays for Inter Milan’s youth system after leaving the AC Milan academy in 2018. The 15-year-old wonderkid has sworn his loyalty to the Italian national team after playing for them at the youth level.
Maussi Martins made his Italy U-15 debut on November 22, 2019, and has since played three games for the young Nerazzurri, scoring one. Hopefully, Obafemi Martin’s son will switch allegiances and, like his father, wear the Super Eagles jersey one day.
Obafemi Martins Net Worth
Obafemi Martins has played for a variety of clubs, earning an impressive $35 million. His career is one of the most successful in professional football. He is one of the wealthiest Nigerian football players.
Social Media
Instagram: @obagoal
