Peter Odemwingie

Peter Osaze Odemwingie (born 15 July 1981) is a footballer who plays as a winger or forward for Premier League side West Bromwich Albion. His name, Osaze, means "God chooses (for you)".

Raised in Russia, Odemwingie chose to pledge his allegiances to the national team of Nigeria, although he was also eligible for Russia and Uzbekistan.

Club career

Early career

Born in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, USSR, Odemwingie played in the youth systems at KAMAZ and CSKA. He first plied his trade with Nigerian Premier League side Bendel Insurance, where he scored 19 goals in 53 league appearances from 2000 to 2002. He signed for Belgian club La Louvière in 2002 and made his mark by helping the club to win the Belgian Cup in his first season. Scoring nine goals in 44 appearances attracted the attention of the French Ligue 1 side Lille OSC and before long he was a starter in the first team playing in the French Ligue 1. Famous for his technique and pace, the Nigerian player was being monitored by a number of prestigious European clubs. Odemwingie indicated that he wanted to stay at Lille and help them fight for the league the following season and scored five league goals for them in the 2006–07 season as well as two against A.C. Milan at the San Siro to take Lille to the UEFA Champions League knockout stages.However,...
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