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Benedict Akwuegbu

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Benedict Akwuegbu
Personal information
Full name Benedict Akwuegbu
Date of birth (1974-11-03) 3 November 1974 (age 50)
Place of birth Jos, Nigeria
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1989–1991 Mighty Jets F.C.
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1991–1992 RC Lens
1992–1993 K.S.C. Eendracht Aalst 15 (3)
1994–1996 Harelbeke 49 (14)
1996–1997 Waregem 16 (9)
1997–1998 Tienen 27 (4)
1998–2002 Grazer AK 100 (31)
2002 → Shenyang Ginde (loan) 18 (2)
2002–2004 Grazer AK 20 (7)
2004 FC Kärnten 14 (6)
2004–2005 St. Gallen 12 (3)
2005–2006 Wacker Innsbruck 11 (0)
2006 Siegen 10 (1)
2006 → Tianjin Teda (loan) 6 (3)
2006–2007 Panserraikos 10 (12)
2007 Qingdao Jonoon 20 (6)
2008 Beijing Hongdeng 7 (2)
2009–2010 Basingstoke Town 4 (1)
International career
2000–2005 Nigeria 35 (10)
Managerial career
2012–2013 Heartland F.C. (Asst General Manager)
2015–2016 FC Gratkorn (Manager)
2016– Mighty Jets F.C. (Technical Director)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Benedict Akwuegbu (born 3 November 1974) is a retired Nigerian football striker.

He played for Nigerian national football team and was a 2002 FIFA World Cup participant.

Club career

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Early career

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Akwuegbu started his career at the age of 15 in Nigeria before moving to French outfit RC Lens at the age of 17.[1] Then he spent five years in Belgium with KRC Harelbeke, KSV Waregem, KVK Tienen. Austrian side Grazer AK signed him after the 1998 season.

Grazer AK

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Grazer AK won the Austrian Cup and Austrian Supercup in 2000 and 2002 and the league title in 2004 with his good performance. He won the Best Foreign Player and nicknamed "Austrian Bomber" by the press.[2] He played in 20 European games as he scored 12 including some remarkable goals. He attracted several Bundesliga clubs like Hamburger SV and 1. FC Kaiserslautern.[3] However Grazer AK refused the offer from Kaiserslautern.

Qingdao Jonoon

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In April 2007, Akwuegbu was signed by Qingdao Jonoon. He scored his first goal for Qingdao on 13 May 2007, an 84-minute equalizer in a 3–2 loss away at Shanghai Schenhua. Qingdao Janoon boss, Yin Tiesheng spoke very high about him and his performance in the media, Akwuegbu became one of the most consistent players in the Qingdao squad. He was a vital part in Qingdao attack throughout the campaign and notched six goals in 20 games. Akwuegbu had an excellent season and was favorite of Qingdao Janoon fans.

Basingstoke Town

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Akwuegbu then joined Basingstoke Town in the Conference South. He scored his first goal for the Dragons against Dorchester Town on 5 April 2010. He was released at the end of the season.

International career

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Akwuegbu was selected to U-16 World Cup Final squad in 1989 hosted by Scotland.[4] However, he never had the chance to play as sitting on the bench in all four matches without substitution. Nigeria was beaten by eventual winner Saudi Arabia at the quarter-final stage. He also played for the U-20 national side.[2]

In 2000, his success in Austria made him joining the Africa Cup of Nations tournament which he played his first international game against Tunisia. With his progress in the team he was involved in the 2002 World Cup Qualifier and scoring two goals in the process, His performance made him selected to the 2002 World Cup Final squad. He played the only World Cup game against England.

Honours

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Grazer AK
International

Post Retirement

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Ben Akwuegbu FC

After hanging up his boots, Ben has held several managerial positions. He currently owns Ben Akwuegbu F C which he acquired in 2022.[5] The team currently plays in Nigeria Nationwide League, the 3rd tier of Nigeria football.


References

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  1. ^ "Benedict Akwuegbu". National-Football-Teams.com. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  2. ^ a b "Eagles under spotlight: The return of the Austrian bomber". Biafra Nigeria World. 13 December 2003. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  3. ^ "Africans in demand in Germany". BBC. 4 June 2001. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  4. ^ "Scotland 1989: Saudi Arabia steal the show". FIFA. Archived from the original on 29 June 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  5. ^ "Super Eagles Legend, Ben Akwuegbu Acquires NLO Team/". BSN Sports. 9 November 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
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