Odion Ighalo

About Odion Ighalo

The final whistle blew on February 6, 2019, and Odion Ighalo had done it. Nigeria's number 9 stood on the pitch at the Africa Cup of Nations as the competition's top scorer and a member of the Team of the Tournament. His country had finished third, but Ighalo had announced himself as one of Africa's deadliest strikers.

Odion Jude Ighalo was born on June 16, 1989, in Nigeria. He started his football journey at local clubs Prime and Julius Berger before catching the eye of international scouts. In 2007, Norwegian club Lyn signed the young forward. A year later, Italian side Udinese brought him to Europe.

His time at Udinese saw Ighalo move on loan to Spanish club Granada on two separate occasions. The loans helped him develop his craft against stronger competition. By 2014, he was ready for a bigger challenge. Watford, then in the Championship, made their move.

Ighalo became central to Watford's 2014-15 season campaign. The team earned promotion to the Premier League largely on his performances. His pace, power and finishing had announced a new threat in English football. Scouts from bigger clubs started taking notice.

In January 2017, Ighalo departed for China's Super League. Changchun Yatai paid a reported £20 million for the striker. He later transferred to Shanghai Shenhua, continuing his success in the Far East. The money was good, but his heart remained with international football.

March 2015 marked his Nigeria debut against Uganda. He would go on to represent the Super Eagles at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. But his finest moment came during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign, where he finished as the highest goalscorer. His goals dragged Nigeria all the way to Egypt for the tournament itself.

In January 2020, Manchester United came calling. The Premier League giants signed Ighalo on loan, reuniting him with English football. His loan was extended, keeping him at Old Trafford until January 2021. The forward had completed a remarkable journey from Nigerian streets to Old Trafford's Theatre of Dreams.