Kanu grew up in Owerri alongside his siblings, where he began his football career at Nigerian league club federation works. That same year he captained the Nigerian National team that won gold at the Olympics and scored two late goals in the semi-finals against Brazil to overturn a scoreline into a win in extra time. However, soon after returning from the Olympics, Kanu underwent a medical examination at Inter, which revealed a severe heart defect, and doctors believed that his career was over.
He underwent successful surgery in November to replace an aortic valve and did not return to his club until April With the score 1—1 and ten minutes to go, the then Sheffield United goalkeeper kicked the ball out of touch so that the medics could give treatment to injured Lee Morris.
When the ball was thrown back into play, although it was intended for Kelly, Kanu chased the throw-in down the right-wing unchallenged and centered the ball for Marc Overmars, who scored to make the match 2—1. He came off the bench to score his first goal in the next round of the cup against Derby County, the game's only goal. Kanu quickly became known for scoring prowess from the bench, scoring crucial goals against Sheffield Wednesday, Tottenham Hotspur, and Aston Villa as a substitute.
He became very popular among the fans for his two-fingered salute, which started in against Middlesbrough — something that he later explained was based on the team's nickname, the Gunners. In the — season, he scored 17 times in 50 matches for the Gunners, including a hat-trick in fifteen minutes against Chelsea to turn a 2—0 deficit into a 3—2 victory. Nevertheless, Kanu's appearances for Arsenal gradually became less frequent, particularly after the emergence of Thierry Henry as Arsenal's first-choice striker, with Kanu being mainly used as a substitute.
He played games for Arsenal, scoring 44 goals. In , his contract with Arsenal ended, and he soon moved to West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer. Despite his move to West Brom, Kanu was invited to play 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. Kanu started as a regular for the West Bromwich side, making his debut in a 1—1 draw away at Blackburn Rovers on 14 August He had his first goal for Albion on 18 September , an 88th-minute equalizer in a 1—1 home draw against Fulham. One of the most memorable games of the —06 season for Kanu came with the visit of his former club Arsenal to The Hawthorns on 15 October Philippe Senderos put the visitors ahead in the 17th minute, but Kanu equalized before halftime.
Egyptian News. Ghana News. Kenyan News. Nigerian News. Zambian News. AF Nigeria. What his origin story? International career As mentioned above, Kanu won the U World Cup but that was just the start of his epic journey with various Nigerian national teams.
Anything else to add? Check out these compilations of his best skills and goals for Arsenal and Nigeria: Nigeria news page ». Kanu is a lover of Ferrari cars. Below is the Legend and his sons posing at one of his Ferraris.
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 to replace an aortic valve and did not return to his club until April 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 is currently in the football history books of Africa. He made the third-most substitute appearances in Premier League history, appearing from the bench times. At LifeBogger, we strive for accuracy and fairness. Sign in. Forgot your password? Get help. Privacy Policy. Password recovery. Notify of. Inline Feedbacks.
0コメント