Place of birth Nigeria Years Team 2015– Enugu Rangers Current team Enugu Rangers | Number 8 Apps (Gls) Height 1.79 m | |
Date of birth (1996-06-29) 29 June 1996 (age 20) | ||
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Obinna Nwobodo (born 29 June 1996) is a Nigerian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Rangers International Football Club in the Nigerian Premier Football League.
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Early Career
Nwobodo started his youth career with FC Inter Enugu while completing his high school education in Enugu State, Nigeria. He was scouted while representing his high school in a football competition and later played for FC Inter in the Nigeria Nationwide league (NNL) and State FA cup. During a preseason friendly between Enugu Rangers and FC Inter Enugu, he put in a man-of-the-match performance that troubled the six-time Nigerian league champions, who promptly negotiated a deal to have him play professionally for them during the 2015/2016 league season.
Rangers FC (2015- )
After signing for Rangers International Football Club, Obinna was promoted straight into the first team within a matter of weeks. He was handed his preferred number 8 shirt and registered as a central midfielder. He was described by Rangers scouts as possessing an unusually-high tactical awareness, good passing range and the ability to pass and shoot with either of his feet. Rangers fans were excited to watch one of Nigeria's U-17 and U-20 players who is comfortable in the deep-lying playmaker role or regista and has been compared to Xavi and Riquelme by followers of the youth teams due to his early successes. Moving straight into the starting eleven, Nwobodo started majority of the early season games, making his league debut in the season opener against Nigerian league giants Kano Pillars. He remained in the starting eleven afterwards with his playmaking and distribution helping take Rangers to the very top of the NPFL 2015/2016 table.
He was instumental to their eventual title triumph, providing half of the assists for Chisom Egbuchulam's 16 goals and ending Rangers' 32-year wait for a 7th league title. On match-day 37 against Ikorodu United, he scored a goal of the season contender - having sighting the Ikorodu United goalkeeper off his line, he scored with a lofted chip shot from almost 40 yards out. The tally was later increased to two when Nwobodo again made a spectacular run down the right and then delivered a prefect cross for Chisom Egbuchulam to simply tap home. That man-of-the-match performance cemented his place in the team of the season. He contributed 7 goals and 10 assists to finish as arguably the best midfielder in the league in his first professional season in the top flight of Nigerian football.In December 2016, Nwobodo was presented with the best player award for his performance during the 2015-2016 season by Enugu Rangers management.
International career
Nwobodo represented Nigeria at the CAF U-20 Championship 2015. He scored a vital goal in the semi-final against Ghana as the Nigerian team went on to win the championship. He suffered an injury during the final which subsequently ruled him out of the U-20 World cup later in 2015.