Ajax
Amsterdam (Holland), Inter Milan (Italy), Arsenal FC (England),
Inter Milan (England), Arsenal FC (England), West Brom (England)
Honours
1995
Champions League winner (Ajax) 2002 Premiership Champions (Arsenal) 2004 Premiership Champions (Arsenal) 2002 FA Cup winner (Arsenal) 2000 UEFA Cup Finals (Arsenal) 2001 FA Cup Finals (Arsenal)
Biography
Nwankwo Kanu (born August 1, 1976 in Owerri, Nigeria) is a
professional footballer, currently playing for West Bromwich
Albion in the English Premier League. He is known for his height,
which is 198 cm (6'6"), and his silky ball skills which he often
utilizes to break down defences.
His unique, unorthodox method of play (taking on defences alone
with his vast talents and skills) is deemed to be too slow and
time-wasting and at times can even be more frustrating than
entertaining to those who watch him play, though when it works,
it usually reaps results. He is said to be one of the most
talented footballers ever to come out of the African continent.
He is usually mentioned alongside the likes of other African
greats such as George Weah and Abedi Pele. He is the most highly-decorated
African footballer in footballing history, with over 10 awards
to boast of.
Kanu began his career, aged fifteen, at First Division club
Federation Works before moving to Iwuanyanwu National in 1992.
After a notable performance at the U-17 World Championships he
was signed by Ajax Amsterdam in 1993 for €207,047. He made his
Ajax debut in 1994 and went on to play 54 times for the Dutch
side, scoring 25 goals; Kanu came on as a sub in Ajax's 1995
Champions League final win over AC Milan. In 1996, Ajax sold him
to Serie A side Internazionale for around $4.7 million; that
summer he captained the Nigerian team that won gold at the
Olympics, famously scoring 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 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 February
1999, after just twelve games and one goal for Inter, Kanu was
signed by Arsenal for approximately £4.2 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 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 the
United 'keeper, 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, especially after the departure of
Nicolas Anelka in the summer of 1999. Kanu became known for
scoring extravagant goals – against Tottenham Hotspur, with his
back to goal he lobbed the ball over Luke Young's head, before
turning the young defender and scoring. Other memorable goals
included a hat-trick against Chelsea, in which one of the goals
was scored from the goal line, to win a derby match 3-2 after
being 2-0 down. Following his amazing performance the headline
pun after the game was "Kanu believe it". He also scored a
spectacular backheel flick against Middlesbrough and an amazing
goal against Deportivo La Coruna where given a one-on-one with
the La Coruna goalkeeper, ran in a straight line towards the
goal completely fooling him in the process. He 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.
However, Kanu's appearances for Arsenal gradually became less
frequent, particularly after the emergence of Thierry Henry as
Arsenal's first choice striker, and he became 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 2004
offseason, after failing to get his contract with Arsenal
extended, he moved to West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer.
In the 2004/05 season, Kanu played at home for West Bromwich
Albion against Middlesbrough, incredibly missing a shot from
less than one yards off the goal line. A cross sent across the
face of the goal by teammate Geoff Horsfield was amazingly
knocked over the crossbar by Kanu in injury time. Kanu was not
under any pressure from the Middlesbrough defence and had the
ball rolling perfectly to him, but in a moment of panic, he sent
the ball over the bar. West Bromwich Albion lost the match 1-2,
and it was manager Bryan Robson's first game in charge, against
his former club Middlesbrough. The miss was dubiously crowned
'Miss of the Season' by many television stations in the end-of-season
reviews.
On 15th October 2005, Nwankwo Kanu returned to haunt his former
club Arsenal, playing for West Bromwich Albion at home against
Arsenal and scored an equaliser in the 38th minute against his
former employees. West Bromwich Albion won the match 2-1, their
first home win over Arsenal in 33 years.
Kanu had played for Nigeria since 1994, making his debut against
Sweden in a friendly. He (as of September 2005) has over 40 caps
caps and has scored more than 10 goals for his country. As well
as playing in the Olympics, Kanu participated in the 1998 and
2002 World Cups. However, Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2006
World Cup as they crashed out to Angola, on head-to-head results
after finishing level on points. Kanu played an influential part
as a "supersub" in Nigeria's qualifying campaign, and turned
several games around in an attempt to salvage a World Cup spot
but despite Nigeria's 5-1 home win over Zimbabwe even as Kanu
scored a penalty goal and created another, Angola beat Rwanda
1-0 with just minutes to go to top Group 4.
