Isaac Okoronkwo

Isaac Okoronkwo

Personal information
Date of birth	May 1, 1978 (1978-05-01)
Place of birth	Nbene, Nigeria
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Centre back
Club information
Current club	FC Rostov
Number	4
Youth career
	FC Lagos
–	Julius Berger
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1994	Enyimba	13	(4)
1995	Iwuanyanwu Nationale	26	(7)
1996–1997	Julius Berger	25	(5)
1997–1998	Al-Rayyan
1998	Iwuanyanwu Nationale	25	(6)
1998–2000	Sheriff Tiraspol	41	(1)
2000–2003	Shakhtar Donetsk	53	(0)
2003–2004	Wolverhampton Wanderers	7	(0)
2005	FC Alania Vladikavkaz	22	(0)
2006–2009	FC Moscow	64	(2)
2010–	FC Rostov	45	(1)
National team‡
2001–2007	Nigeria	26	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12:02, 5 November 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11 September 2007

Isaac Okoronkwo (born May 1, 1978 in Nbene, Nigeria) is a professional football player who currently plays as a defender for FC Rostov in Russia.

Okoronkwo started his career at FC Lagos before moving to the Nigerian topclub Julius Berger FC. His first club outside Nigeria was a six month spell at Al-Rayyan in Qatar, but the club could not afford to keep him before this period and he returned home to Iwuanyanwu Nationale. He spent one season there before again heading abroad with Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldova for two seasons. In Summer 2000, he signed to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Ukraine.

With Shakhtar he played in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup, and won the Ukrainian Cup in 2001 and the league title in 2002. After his contract expired in 2003, several FA Premier League and German Bundesliga clubs like Schalke 04 and Borussia Mönchengladbach tried to sign him. He eventually signed a one-year deal with newly-promoted Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Okoronkwo's time in England did not prove a success though as he was unable to break into the team until the closing months of the season, by which time the club faced almost certain relegation from the top flight. After they suffered the drop, Okoronkwo was released and eventually came to play in Russia with Alania Vladikavkaz. Alania folded under financial problems in 2005 and he signed with FC Moscow in 2006, soon becoming an important member of the starting line-up at his new club. The same season he was voted player of the season, alongside Hector Bracamonte.

Okoronkwo played 25 games for the Nigeria national team since making his debut on January 13, 2001, against Zambia. He played in the 2002 and 2004 African Cup of Nations (finishing 3rd both times) and in the Olympics Games in 2000. He also played in every minute of Nigeria's 2002 World Cup campaign, where they failed to progress beyond the group stage.

External links

• Personal website at Icons.com
• Profile at Nigerian Players.com