Victor Ikpeba

Victor Ikpeba Nosa (born 12 June 1973) is a Nigerian former footballer who played as a forward for both club and country. Ikpeba played thirty-one international matches and scored seven goals for Nigeria. He played at the FIFA World Cups in 1994 and 1998. Ikpeba helped win the 1994 African Nations Cup and the Olympic football gold medal in 1996.

Victor Ikpeba
Personal information
Full name Victor Ikpeba Nosa
Date of birth (1973-06-12) 12 June 1973
Place of birth Benin City, Nigeria
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1989 ACB Lagos
1989–1993 RFC Liège 79 (27)
1993–1999 Monaco 170 (55)
1999–2002 Borussia Dortmund 30 (3)
2001–2002 → Real Betis (loan) 3 (0)
2002–2003 Al Ittihad 26 (13)
2004 Charleroi 15 (5)
2005 Al-Sadd
National team
1996 Nigeria U23 6 (1)
1992–2002 Nigeria 31 (7)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Ikpeba was discovered by Belgian club RFC Liège during the 1989 FIFA U-17 World Championship, and moved to play in Belgium together with teammate Sunday Oliseh. At the age of 20 and after scoring 17 goals in 1992–93, Ikpeba was bought by Monégasque side AS Monaco, then coached by Arsène Wenger. At Monaco, he gradually became a success, albeit with a tough start. He showed outstanding form subsequent to the 1996 Olympics, scoring 13 league goals to help Monaco win the league title, and also finishing as the second-top goalscorer in the 1996–97 UEFA Cup. His performances earned him the African Footballer of the Year award in 1997. Two successful seasons followed. While at Monaco, Ikpeba nearly signed for Italian club Reggina. But his wife, unwilling to give up life in Monaco, locked him in their house on the day he was to sign his contract.[1] Ikpeba played in Jean Tigana's talented Monaco side which famously put Manchester United out of the Champions League in 1998 on away goals after a 1–1 draw at Old Trafford.[2]

Ikpeba again teamed up with Sunday Oliseh at Borussia Dortmund in 1999, for a transfer fee of £4.8m. Ikpeba scored only two goals in his first season in the Bundesliga and barely played in his second, after falling out with the coach Matthias Sammer. Looking for a move abroad, Ikpeba turned down Southampton to join Real Betis on a season-long loan.[3] Things went further downhill for the player in Spain as he was criticised for being overweight by the coach, after making just one appearance for the club. He didn't feature for Betis again up until the last two games of the season.

Ikpeba then signed a season-long contract with Libyan outfit Al-Ittihad, but only played out half of his contract with the club, as he quit the team over financial disagreements.[4] After leaving Libya and spending almost a year without a club, Ikpeba returned to Belgium, where he joined his former Liège coach at Charleroi. After helping the club avoid relegation, Ikpeba came very close to signing with German side SC Freiburg,[5] but the deal fell through when it was revealed that the player had no EU passport.[6] Ikpeba then had a short spell at Al-Sadd in Qatar, before retiring from professional football.

Style of play

In spite of his small physique, Ikpeba was a fast, versatile, and opportunistic forward, who was capable of playing as a striker, as a second striker, or on either wing, and was known for his ability to score from any position on the pitch.[7]

Personal life

Ikpeba now lives in Lagos, he co-host Monday Night Football on Supersport . His wife Atinuke died in May 2000 at the age of 26, after losing her battle with breast cancer.

Honours

Club
RFC Liège
Monaco
Al-Ittihad

International
Nigeria

Individual

References
  1. McFarland, Ban; Bandini, Paolo (5 March 2008). "Footballers whose loved ones have told them who to play for". The Guardian. guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  2. "Monaco and bust for sorry United". The Independent. 19 March 1998. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  3. "Ikpeba rejects Saints for Betis". BBC Sport. 9 August 2001. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20061107160934/http://www.kickoffnigeria.com/stories/story2636.html. Archived from the original on 7 November 2006. Retrieved 30 December 2007. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. https://web.archive.org/web/20061107182900/http://www.kickoffnigeria.com/stories/story4645.html. Archived from the original on 7 November 2006. Retrieved 30 December 2007. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. http://www.kickoffnigeria.com/stories/story4838.html%5B%5D
  7. "Le stelle di Francia 98: da Pep Guardiola a Jugovic" (in Italian). SoloCalcio.com. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
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