Nwankwo Kanu

Nwankwo Kanu

Personal information
Full name	Nwankwo Nwosu Kanu
Height	1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Second Striker
Team information
Current team	Portsmouth
Number	27
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1991–1992	Fed Works	35	(20)
1992–1993	Iwuanyanwu Nationale	25	(15)
1993–1996	Ajax	54	(25)
1996–1999	Internazionale	11	(1)
1999–2004	Arsenal	119	(30)
2004–2006	West Bromwich Albion	53	(7)
2006–	Portsmouth	131	(19)
International career‡
1993	Nigeria U17	6	(5)
1996	Nigeria U23	6	(3)
1994–2010	Nigeria	87	(13)
Medal record Representing Nigeria Men's Football 1996 Atlanta Team Competition
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 June 2011 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 1 July 2011

Nwankwo Christian Nwosu Kanu, OON (born 1 August 1976 in Owerri, Nigeria), or simply Kanu, is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays striker for Football League Championship club Portsmouth. He was also a member of the Nigerian national team for 16 years from 1994 until 2010. Kanu is a member of the Igbo ethnic group; his name, Nwankwo, means Baby boy born on Nkwo market day in the Igbo language.

Kanu has won a UEFA Champions League medal, a UEFA Cup medal, three FA Cup Winners Medals and two African Player of the Year awards amongst others. He is also one of few players to have won the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, UEFA Cup and an Olympic Gold Medal. He is also a UNICEF ambassador.

Career

Early career

Kanu began his career as a part time plumber. After a notable performance at the U-17 World Championships he was signed by Dutch Eredivisie AFC Ajax in 1993 for €207,047. He made his Ajax debut the following year and went on to score 25 goals in 54 appearances. Kanu also came on as a sub in Ajax's 1995 Champions League final win over AC Milan. In 1996, Ajax sold Kanu to Serie A side Internazionale for around $4.7 million that summer he captained the Nigerian team that won gold at the Olympics, and scored two late goals in the semi-finals against powerhouses Brazil to overturn a 2–3 scoreline into a 4–3 win in extra time. Kanu was also named African Footballer of the Year for that year . However, soon after returning from the Olympics, Kanu underwent a medical examination at Inter, which revealed a serious heart defect; he underwent surgery in November 1996 to replace an aortic valve and did not return to his club until April 1997. In interviews, Kanu frequently cites his faith as a Christian, and has often mentioned this trying time of his career as an occasion when he prayed to God. Kanu's experience also led to his founding the Kanu Heart Foundation, an organisation that helps predominantly young African children who suffer heart defects. Kanu is known throughout Africa for his philanthropic work.

Arsenal

In February 1999, after just eleven games and one goal for Inter, Kanu was signed by Arsenal for approximately £4.15 million. His debut for Arsenal, against Sheffield United in the FA Cup, was a highly unusual match. With the score 1–1 and ten minutes to go, the United goalkeeper, Alan Kelly, kicked the ball out of touch so that treatment could be given to an injured player. When the ball was thrown back into play by Ray Parlour, although it was intended for Kelly, Kanu was unaware of the circumstances. Thinking it to be an attacking move, he chased the throw-in down the right wing unchallenged, and centred the ball for Marc Overmars, who promptly scored to make the match 2–1. Immediately after the match Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger offered to right the error and replay the match; in the end, Arsenal won that match 2–1 as well.

Despite the events overshadowing his debut, Kanu's career was quickly revived at Arsenal. He scored his first goal for the club in the next round of the cup against Derby County, coming off the bench to net the only goal of the game. He quickly became known for his goalscoring prowess from the bench, scoring important goals against Sheffield Wednesday, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa as a substitute. He became very popular among the fans for his two-fingered salute – something that he later explained was based on the team's nickname, The Gunners – which started in 1999 against Middlesbrough.

Kanu was named African Footballer of the Year for the second time in 1999, and in 1999–2000 he scored 17 times in 50 matches for the Gunners, Including three goals in fifteen minutes against Chelsea to turn a 2–0 deficit to a 3–2 victory. However, Kanu's appearances for Arsenal gradually became less frequent, particularly after the emergence of Thierry Henry as Arsenal's first choice striker, when Kanu was mainly used as a substitute. Despite this, Kanu won the Double with Arsenal in 2002, an FA Cup in 2003 (as an unused sub) and the Premier League title in 2004. In all he played 197 games for Arsenal (nearly half of them as a substitute), scoring 44 goals. In the summer of 2004, after his contract with Arsenal ended, he moved to West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer.

In 2008 Kanu was voted 13th in the "Gunners' Greatest 50 Players" poll

West Bromwich Albion

West Brom had just been promoted to the FA Premier League for the second time in the space of two years. Kanu started as a regular for the club, making his debut in a 1–1 draw away at Blackburn Rovers on 14 August 2004. He scored his first goal for Albion on 18 September 2004, an 88th-minute equalizer in a 1–1 home draw against Fulham. In a match against Middlesbrough on 14 November 2004, Kanu was guilty of an incredible miss in injury time, with Albion 2–1 down. Kanu had sent a low cross over the bar from a yard away from the goal line. Manager Bryan Robson was seen in TV footage mouthing the words "How the fuck did he miss that?", and Kanu's howler was crowned 'Miss of the Season' by many television stations in the end-of-season reviews. Nevertheless, the 2004–05 season was ultimately a memorable one for West Brom, as they became the first club to avoid relegation from the Premier League after being bottom of the table at Christmas.

One of the most memorable games of the 2005–06 season for Kanu came with the visit of his former club Arsenal to The Hawthorns on 15 October 2005. Philippe Senderos put the visitors ahead in the 17th minute, but Kanu equalised shortly before half time. West Brom went on to win the match 2–1 with a spectacular strike from Darren Carter. It was their first home win over Arsenal since 1973, and the first time that they had come from behind to win a Premier League game. But such highlights were rare for Albion that season, and the club was relegated at the end of 2005–06. Kanu's contract had expired, and he chose not to renew it. In his two years at The Hawthorns he made a total of 58 appearances – 16 of them as a substitute – and scored nine goals.

In the summer of 2006, Kanu played as a guest for Arsenal in Dennis Bergkamp's testimonial game, the first match to be played in Arsenal's new Emirates Stadium. The game was tied 1–1 when Kanu scored the winning goal, making him the third person to score in the stadium. At the end of the match, Kanu joined the rest of the Arsenal side in hoisting the retired Dutchman on their shoulders as fans gave him a standing ovation. He remains a popular figure at Arsenal, being applauded when he appears at the Emirates Stadium.

Portsmouth

Kanu playing for Portsmouth at Fulham in March 2007

Kanu was a free agent following his departure from West Brom, and he signed for Portsmouth on a one-year deal shortly before the start of the 2006–07 season. Pompey had undergone a revival in the second half of the previous campaign, following the return of Harry Redknapp as manager, avoiding relegation by four points after being in serious danger at the turn of the year. At the start of the 2006–07 season, they were undefeated in their first five games, during which they did not concede a single goal. Kanu made his debut for Portsmouth as a substitute against Blackburn Rovers on 19 August 2006, the opening day of the 2006–2007 Premier League season. He scored twice and missed a penalty. Though Kanu led the top scorers chart early in the season, he had a goal drought for the rest of the season, but still finished as the top goalscorer for Portsmouth, with 12 goals.

In his second season at Portsmouth, Kanu scored in both the FA Cup 1–0 semi-final win against West Bromwich Albion and the 1–0 win in the final against Cardiff City, earning him a third FA Cup winner's medal.

His first goal of the 2008–09 season put Portsmouth 2–0 up in their eventual 2–2 UEFA Cup draw with Italian club A.C. Milan. He later scored the winning goal against Bolton Wanderers, which ensured Pompey's mathematical safety. It was his only Premier League goal of 2008–2009. He re-signed with Pompey in August 2010, with an eye on becoming a coach when he retired. Kanu signed a three-year deal and kept the number 27 shirt, but was not a regular starter throughout the course of the season and only managed two goals.

International career

Kanu was a member of the Nigerian national team from 1994 until 2010, making his debut in friendly against Sweden. Earlier on at the start of his career, Kanu was instrumental in Nigeria's overall success at the 1993 FIFA U-17 tournament in Japan and their subsequent 2–1 victory over Ghana in the final. With five goals, he was second joint-scorer in the tournament with Peter Anosike and Manuel Neira, behind compatriot and Captain Wilson Oruma.

As well as winning the Olympics gold in the football event at 1996 Olympics, Kanu participated in the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cups. On 24 June 2010, Kanu ended his international career following Nigeria's exit from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Nigeria lost their group matches against Argentina and Greece, before a 2–2 draw with South Korea ended their stay in the tournament. He won 86 caps and scored 13 goals for his country and is the joint most capped Nigerian player of all-time alongside Muda Lawal.

In June 2011, at the age of 34, Kanu announced his retirement from international football.

Personal life

His younger brother is also professional footballer and his stepbrothers are Anderson "Anders" Gabolalmo Kanu and Henry Isaac. He also has a younger brother called Yaya

Career statistics

Template:Football player statistics 1 Template:Football player statistics 2 |- |1991–92||Fed Works||||30||9||||||||||||||30||9 |- |1992–93||Iwuanyanwu Nationale||Premier League||30||6||||||||||||||30||6 Template:Football player statistics 2 |- |1993–94||rowspan="3"|Ajax||rowspan="3"|Eredivisie||6||2|||||||||||||||| |- |1994–95||18||10||||||||||7||1||25||11 |- |1995–96||30||13||||||||||9||0||39||13 Template:Football player statistics 2 |- |1996–97||rowspan="3"|Internazionale Milano||rowspan="3"|Serie A||0||0||||||||||0||0||0||0 |- |1997–98||11||1||||||||||5||0||16||1 |- |1998–99||1||0||||||||||||||1||0 Template:Football player statistics 2 |- |1998–99||rowspan="6"|Arsenal||rowspan="12"|Premier League||12||6||5||1||-||-||-||-||17||7 |- |1999-00||31||12||2||0||1||1||15||3||49||16 |- |2000–01||27||3||1||0||-||-||14||2||42||5 |- |2001–02||23||3||5||2||2||1||9||0||39||6 |- |2002–03||16||5||1||0||1||0||8||1||26||6 |- |2003–04||10||1||3||0||4||2||7||0||24||3 |- |2004–05||rowspan="2"|West Bromwich Albion||28||2||2||1||-||-||-||-||30||3 |- |2005–06||25||5||1||0||2||1||-||-||28||6 |- |2006–07||rowspan="5"|Portsmouth||36||10||2||2||-||-||-||-||38||12 |- |2007–08||25||4||5||2||1||1||-||-||31||7 |- |2008–09||17||1||2||0||1||0||5||1||25||2 |- |2009–10||23||2||1||0||4||2||-||-||28||4 |- |2010–11||Championship||30||2||1||0||1||0||-||-||32||2 Template:Football player statistics 360||15||||||||||||||60||15 Template:Football player statistics 454||25||||||||||16||1||70||26 Template:Football player statistics 412||1||||||||||5||0||17||1 Template:Football player statistics 4300||55||31||8||17||8||58||7||406||78 Template:Football player statistics 5426||96||31||8||17||8||79||8||553||120 Template:Football player statistics end

• Stats accurate as at 26 April 2011
  • Not including 1999/00 Community Shield Appearance and Goal

Template:Football player national team statistics |- |1994||3||0 |- |1995||2||1 |- |1996||0||0 |- |1997||1||0 |- |1998||5||1 |- |1999||0||0 |- |2000||10||2 |- |2001||6||2 |- |2002||11||0 |- |2003||4||3 |- |2004||7||0 |- |2005||6||2 |- |2006||8||0 |- |2007||6||2 |- |2008||6||0 |- |2009||5||0 |- |2010||5||0 |- |2011||1||0 |- !Total||87||13 |}

Honours

Club

Iwuanyanwu Nationale

• Nigerian Premier League: 1992–93

Ajax

• Eredivisie: 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96
• UEFA Champions League: 1994–95
• UEFA Super Cup: 1995
• Intercontinental Cup: 1995

Internazionale

• UEFA Cup: 1997–98

Arsenal

• Premier League: 2001–02, 2003–04
• FA Cup: 2001–02, 2002–03
• FA Community Shield: 1999

Portsmouth

• FA Cup: 2007–08

Country

Nigeria

• FIFA U-17 World Cup: 1993
• Olympic Gold Medal: 1996

Individual

• African Footballer of the Year: 1996, 1999
• BBC African Footballer of the Year: 1997, 1999

External links

• Nwankwo Kanu at Soccerbase
• Kanu Heart Foundation, a charity founded by Kanu to help African children with heart problems.
• FootballDatabase provides Nwankwo Kanu's profile and stats
• Link to FIFA Article on Kanu