John Utaka

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Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox football biography

John Chukwudi Utaka (born 8 January 1982) is a Nigerian former footballer who played as a striker and is currently a youth coach at Montpellier HSC. He is the older brother of fellow professional footballer Peter Utaka.[1]

Utaka has played for several clubs across three continents, first for Arab Contractors, subsequently Ismaily of Egypt, and then spending a season playing for Al-Sadd of Qatar, before joining RC Lens and later Rennes in France. He has represented Nigeria at two World Cups and three Africa Cup of Nations since his debut in 2002.

During his career he has mainly been utilised as a pacy winger making him a very effective element in a team's counter-attacking style of play. He is the founder of the John Utaka Football Academy Minna, Niger state.

Club career

Utaka was born in Enugu, Nigeria. He first moved to Egypt in 1998, joining Arab Contractors and subsequently Ismaily. While with Ismaily, Utaka earned cult status with the local fans. They used to chant "Oh Oh Oh Utaka, Oh Oh Oh Utaka" during the matches.[2] He played alongside the likes of Mohammed Barakat, Islam El-Shater, and captain Mohamed Salah Abo Greisha under the guidance of Mohsen Saleh, later appointed coach of Egypt.

He joined Al-Sadd of Qatar in 2001 for a fee of $1 million. This was then a record transfer fee in Qatar.[3] where he spent one season.

In 2002, he joined French club RC Lens whom he left in 2005 for Rennes.

Utaka struggled to make an impact at the start of his Rennes stint. However, he took advantage of the absence of fellow striker Alexander Frei through injury to make his breakthrough. In February 2006, he scored two consecutive hat-tricks, against Lens and Lyon, and as a result received the L'Équipe's player of the month award.

Portsmouth

Utaka joined Portsmouth on a four-year deal in July 2007, for a fee of around £7 million.[4] He scored his first goal on 11 August 2007 in a game against newly promoted Derby County. Some sources claim he became the club's record signing.[5]

On 17 May 2008, Portsmouth won the FA Cup with a 1–0 victory over Cardiff City. Utaka provided the cross for the winning goal which was scored by Nwankwo Kanu.[6]

He went on to have a poor 2008–09 season but on 27 June 2009 he confirmed he would be staying at the club for at least another season.

The salary being paid to Utaka became a talking point in light of Portsmouth's financial issues, with news agencies reporting an alleged £80,000 per week salary for Utaka as a reflection of their financial mismanagement. Utaka hit out at these reports, claiming that he earned only a third of that figure.[7]

On 23 January 2010, he scored both goals in Portsmouth's 2–1 win over Sunderland in the FA Cup Fourth Round.[8]

Montpellier

On 29 January 2011, Utaka signed for French first division side Montpellier, agreeing a two-and-a-half year deal for an undisclosed fee.[9] He made his debut for the new club on 26 February coming on as a 70th-minute substitute for Olivier Giroud in a 0–0 draw with Sochaux.[10]

Utaka scored his first goal of the new Ligue 1 season, and his first for the club, against Ajaccio on 21 September 2011, and also provided an assist as Montpellier defeated Ajaccio 3–1 in Corsica.[11] On 19 February 2012, Montpellier travelled to the Parc des Princes to face league leaders PSG; he headed in an 81st-minute goal from a Giroud cross but a late tap in from Guillaume Hoarau levelled the game at 2–2 and earned the sides a share of the points.[12] Montpellier played host to Bordeaux six days later and he headed home the only goal of the game in the 80th minute to keep up the pressure on league leaders PSG.[13] On 20 May 2012, in a game marred by stoppages for crowd violence, Utaka scored a brace, his sixth and seventh league goals of the campaign, to secure a 2–1 victory over Auxerre and win the Ligue 1 title for Montpellier over PSG, for the first time in the club's history.[14]

Sivasspor

On 1 August 2013, Utaka joined the Turkish club Sivasspor on a two-year contract.[15]

CS Sedan

In July 2017, he signed with fourth-tier side CS Sedan.[16]

International career

Utaka played for Nigeria until 2014 and was a participant at the 2002 World Cup.[17] He started four of Nigeria's six games in the 2006 African Cup of Nations, in which Nigeria finished in third place. He was also part of the Nigeria squad that participated in the 2010 World Cup.[18]

Career statistics

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[19]
National team Year Apps Goals
Nigeria 2001 3 0
2002 4 0
2003 5 1
2004 12 3
2005 2 1
2006 4 0
2007 6 1
2008 7 0
2009 2 0
2010 2 0
2012 2 0
Total 49 6
Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Utaka goal.
List of international goals scored by John Utaka
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 Template:Dts Kamuzu Stadium, Blantyre, Malawi {{ Template:Yesno alias = Malawi flag alias = Flag of Malawi.svg flag alias-2010 = Flag of Malawi (2010–2012).svg Malawi Army size = name = altlink = national football team variant =

}}

1-0 1-0 2004 African Cup of Nations qualification [20]
2 Template:Dts Taieb Mhiri Stadium, Sfax, Tunisia {{ Template:Yesno alias = Benin flag alias = Flag of Benin.svg flag alias-1975 = Flag of Benin (1975-1990).svg link alias-military = Benin Armed Forces link alias-air force = Benin Air Force size = name = altlink = national football team variant =

}}

2-0 2-1 2004 African Cup of Nations [21]
3 Template:Dts Mustapha Ben Jannet Stadium, Monastir, Tunisia {{ Template:Yesno alias = Cameroon flag alias = Flag of Cameroon.svg flag alias-1957 = Flag of Cameroon (1957-1961).svg flag alias-1961 = Flag of Cameroon (1961-1975).svg link alias-military = Cameroon Armed Forces Cameroon Army link alias-air force = Cameroon Air Force size = name = altlink = national football team variant =

}}

2-1 2-1 2004 African Cup of Nations [22]
4 Template:Dts The Valley, London, England {{ Template:Yesno alias = Jamaica flag alias = Flag of Jamaica.svg flag alias-1875 = Flag of Jamaica (1875–1906).svg flag alias-1906 = Flag of Jamaica (1906–1957).svg flag alias-1957 = Flag of Jamaica (1957–1962).svg flag alias-army = Flag of the Jamaica Defence Force.svg link alias-army = Jamaica Defence Force link alias-air force = Jamaica Defence Force Air Wing flag alias-air force = Ensign of the Jamaica Defence Force Air Wing.svg flag alias-coast guard = Naval ensign of Jamaica.svg link alias-coast guard = Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard flag alias-naval = Naval ensign of Jamaica.svg link alias-naval = Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard flag alias-navy = Naval ensign of Jamaica.svg link alias-navy = Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard size = name = altlink = national football team altvar = football variant =

}}

1-0 2-0 Friendly [23]
5 Template:Dts Ahmed Zabana Stadium, Oran, Algeria {{ Template:Yesno alias = Algeria flag alias = Flag of Algeria.svg flag alias-1830 = Flag of France (1794-1815).svg flag alias-1958 = Flag of Algeria (1958-1962).svg flag alias-naval = Naval Ensign of Algeria.svg link alias-naval = Algerian National Navy link alias-air force = Algerian Air Force link alias-army = Algerian Land Forces flag alias-navy = Naval Ensign of Algeria.svg link alias-navy = Algerian National Navy link alias-military = Algerian People's National Army size = name = altlink = national football team variant =

}}

2-0 5-2 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification [24]
6 Template:Dts Mandela National Stadium, Kira Town, Uganda {{ Template:Yesno alias = Uganda flag alias = Flag of Uganda.svg flag alias-colonial = Flag of the Uganda Protectorate.svg flag alias-1962 = Flag of Uganda 1962.svg flag alias-military = Flag of the Uganda People's Defence Force.svg link alias-military = Uganda People's Defence Force Ugandan Land Forces flag alias-army = Flag of the Ugandan Land Forces.svg flag alias-air force = Flag of the Uganda People's Defence Air Force.svg Ugandan Air Force size = name = altlink = national football team variant =

}}

1-0 1-2 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification [25]

Honours

Ismaily SC

Al Sadd SC

Portsmouth

Montpellier

Nigeria

Individual

References

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External links

Template:Sister project Template:Sister project

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