Wilson Oruma

Wilson Oruma (born 30 December 1976) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent most of his career in France.

Wilson Oruma
Wilson Oruma
Personal information
Date of birth (1976-12-30) 30 December 1976
Place of birth Warri, Nigeria
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Right midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1993–1994 Bendel Insurance
1994–1998 Lens 42 (2)
1996–1997 → Nancy (loan) 22 (0)
1998–1999 Samsunspor 21 (4)
1999–2000 Nîmes 25 (2)
2000–2002 Servette 49 (12)
2002–2005 Sochaux 77 (6)
2005–2008 Marseille 56 (3)
2008–2009 Guingamp 24 (5)
2009–2010 AO Kavala 23 (0)
National team
1995–2006 Nigeria 19 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Oruma was born in Warri, Nigeria. He arrived at RC Lens from Bendel Insurance in 1994.[1] A season after being loaned to Nancy,[1] he returned to Lens and played seven matches during their 1997–98 Ligue 1 title campaign.[1][2] After representing Nigeria at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, he moved to Turkish side Samsunspor,[1] returning to France one year later to play for Nîmes.[1]

In 2000, Oruma was transferred to Swiss side Servette,[1] playing two season before coming back to France again, where he played until 2009 for Sochaux,[1] Marseille[1] and Guingamp,[1] winning the 2003–04 Coupe de la Ligue with Sochaux[3] and the 2008–09 Coupe de France with Guingamp, despite them being a Ligue 2 club at the time.[4] He was handed a trial by Cardiff City - a club based in Wales but who play in the English football league system – in the summer of 2008[5] and scored in a 2–2 pre-season friendly at Chasetown,[6][7] but was not awarded a contract due to a lack of fitness.[7]

He retired from professional football in 2010[8] after a season with Greek club AO Kavala.[9][10]

International career

Oruma was part of the Nigeria under-17 team which won the 1993 FIFA U-17 World Championships,[11] captaining his side[11] and becoming the tournament's top goalscorer with 6 goals.[11] He played 19 times international matches over 11 years for Nigeria and was part of the team that participated in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, where he scored in the only appearance he made in the tournament against Paraguay.[12] He also was part of the squad that won the Olympic gold medal in 1996,[7][11] a year after he debuted for Nigeria, and also a member of the Nigerian squad at the 2002 and 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, finishing both competitions at third place.

Personal life

In 2018, Oruma suffered emotional disorder as a result of how he was reportedly duped by an unknown pastor. He was broke and in a status of mental disorder six years after he was reportedly defrauded by a clergyman and some fake oil businessmen. It was learnt that Oruma eventually lost a whopping sum, close to N2 billion to an investment.[13]

Honours

Club

Lens

Sochaux

Marseille

Guingamp

International

Nigeria[15]

References
  1. "Oruma - Effectif pro" (in French). Olympique Marseille. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  2. "1997/98 Ligue 1 table" (in French). ligue1.com. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  3. "Nantes 1-1 Sochaux , Coupe de la Ligue - Finale , Football" (in French). L'Equipe. 17 April 2004. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  4. Gildas Devos, Par (9 May 2009). "Guingamp vainqueur de la Coupe de France de football". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  5. "Bluebirds look at Oruma". Sky Sports. 6 August 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  6. "Report: Chasetown 2-2 Cardiff". Cardiff City F.C. 5 August 2008. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  7. Philips, Terry (8 August 2008). "Boss Jones explains Oruma's Cardiff departure". Wales Online. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  8. "Nigeria's Oruma retires from football". FIFA. 26 November 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  9. "Wilson Oruma Makes U-Turn To Sign For Greek Club Kavala". goal.com. 27 July 2009. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  10. "WILSON ORUMA to leave Kavala". All Nigerian Soccer. 15 May 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  11. "Top five African 'lost boys' - WILSON ORUMA – Japan 1993". goal.com. 17 January 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  12. "1998 FIFA World Cup France ™". FIFA. 24 June 1998. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  13. Silas, Don. "Ex-Super Eagle star, Wilson Oruma suffers mental disorder after been[sic] duped by pastor". Daily Post. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  14. "Marseille 5-1 Deportivo (Aggregate: 5 - 3)". uefa.com. Archived from the original on 31 May 2006. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  15. "Nwankwo Kanu - Career Honours". Soccerway.
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