Kalu Uche

Kalu Uche

Personal information
Full name	Kalu Uche
Date of birth	15 November 1982 (1982-11-15)
Place of birth	Aba, Nigeria
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position	Forward / Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Espanyol
Number	12
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1998	Enyimba
1999–2000	Iwuanyanwu Nationale
2000–2001	Espanyol B
2001–2005	Wisła Kraków	54	(10)
2004–2005	→ Bordeaux (loan)	24	(1)
2005–2011	Almería	172	(39)
2011–2012	Neuchâtel Xamax	14	(6)
2012–	Espanyol	5	(4)
National team‡
2003–	Nigeria	34	(5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12 March 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21 November 2011

Kalu Uche (born 15 November 1982 in Aba) is a Nigerian footballer who plays for RCD Espanyol in La Liga.

Known for his acrobatic goal celebrations, he can operate as a forward or an attacking midfielder, and spent most of his professional career in Spain.

Club career

Early years

Uche's career began in Nigeria with Enyimba International and Iwuanyanwu Nationale. In 2000–01 season, he joined RCD Espanyol B in Spain, failing to receive any first-team opportunities.

Uche then transferred to Wisła Kraków, playing there until 2005 (winning the Polish League three times and Polish Cup twice), except for the 2004–05 season when he represented FC Girondins de Bordeaux, on loan.

Almería

In 2005–06, Uche moved to UD Almería, and was instrumental in helping the Andalusia outfit to its first ever La Liga promotion in his second year, netting eight league goals (with three in the last five matches). He made his first division debut on 26 August 2007, coming from the bench in a 3–0 win at Deportivo de La Coruña.

On 11 January 2009, profiting from the absence of first-choice Álvaro Negredo, Uche netted both goals in a 2–2 draw at Espanyol. On 5 December, he scored the side's second goal at Real Madrid for the 2–1, but the hosts eventually rallied back to 4–2.

In the following summer, Negredo was sold to Sevilla FC (via Real Madrid), and Uche became Almería's most important offensive reference. He finished 2009–10 with a career-best nine goals, namely a brace on 4 May 2010 against Villarreal CF (4–2 home win), which all but certified the club's permanence in the top level for another year.

Uche spent the first month of the 2010–11 season on the sidelines, due to injury. In the second match upon his return, on 26 September 2010, he scored twice at Deportivo (2–0), for Almería's first win of the campaign, going on to net seven in 32 games as the team was finally relegated after a four-year stay.

Neuchâtel / Espanyol

On 4 August 2011, Uche joined Swiss Super League side Neuchâtel Xamax on a two-year deal. He left the club in the following transfer window, however, and returned to Espanyol, immerse in a deep injury crisis to its offensive line, signing until June 2013.

Uche opened his scoring account for his new club on 25 February 2012, in a 1–2 home loss against Levante UD. On 11 March, he put three past Rayo Vallecano in another home fixture (5–1).

International career

Uche made his debut for the Nigeria national football team on 21 June 2003, in an African Nations Cup qualifier against Angola, scoring in the process.

He also represented the nation at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, going scoreless for the eventual third-placed team. After a solid club season, Uche was picked for that year's FIFA World Cup, in South Africa: on 17 June, against Greece, he opened the score from a free kick, but the Africans soon were reduced to ten men, and lost 1–2. In the third and last game, he also scored the opener, eventually earning Nigeria's only point in the competition, in a 2–2 draw against South Korea.

International goals

Update : 21 November 2011

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	21 June 2003	Benin City, Nigeria	Angola	1–2	2–2	2004 African Nations Cup qualifying
2.	27 May 2008	Graz, Austria	Austria	1–1	1–1	Friendly
3.	17 June 2010	Bloemfontein, South Africa	Greece	0–1	2–1	2010 World Cup
4.	22 June 2010	Durban, South Africa	South Korea	1–0	2–2	2010 World Cup
5.	15 November 2011	Kaduna, Nigeria	Zambia	1–0	2–0	Friendly

Personal

Uche's younger brother, Ikechukwu Uche, is also a footballer. Also a forward, he too spent most of his senior career in Spain (they are not related to two other players, Uche Okechukwu and Ikechukwu Kalu).

External links

• NigerianPlayers profile
• Stats at Liga de Fútbol Profesional (Spanish)
• BDFutbol profile
• Kalu Uche at National-Football-Teams.com