Biography
Uzoho: Biography, Club and International Career, Marriage, Net Worth, Achievements and Controversy
By Balogun Kamilu Lekan
Biography
Francis Odinaka Uzoho is Nigerian Professional Footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for the Nigerian national team and Cypriot First Division club Omonia.
He was born on the 28th of October 1998 in Imo State, Nigeria. Uzoho is 24 years old as of 2022.
He holds the record as the Youngest Non-Spanish goalkeeper to feature in an official Laliga game. Uzoho was 18 Years and 352 days when he achieved this feat.
Club Career
Uzoho joined Aspire Academy of Senegal in 2013 as a forward before he was converted to a goalkeeper after being deemed “too slow.”
After an impressive bout at a tournament in Spain, he joined Deportivo de La Coruña’s Juvenil squad.
He debuted for the club’s senior team in a 3- 0 win against Real Madrid Castilla. In 2017, Uzoho made his first-team and La Liga debut in a 0–0 away draw against SD Eibar and became the youngest-ever foreign goalkeeper to debut in Spanish La Liga.
He was then loaned to the Cypriot club Anorthosis Famagusta. His appearance for the club raised some concerns about his health certificate, which cost his team a 9-point league deduction, which was appealed.
This prompted Uzoho to push for a permanent move to APOEL on a three-year contract.
In 2021, Uzoho made a permanent to Omonia on a four-year deal.
International Career
Uzoho represented Nigeria under-17s at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup at age 14 as an immediate backup to Dele Alampasu.
He received his first team call-up in October 2017, where he made his full international debut on 14 November, replacing Daniel Akpeyi in a 4–2 friendly win against Argentina.
Uzoho was named in Nigeria’s squad for Russia’s 2018 FIFA World Cup. This allowed him to be considered the country’s first-choice goalkeeper.
He has also represented the country in several other matches, from friendlies to international tournament qualifiers.
Marriage
Uzoho is married to Sommie, and they are blessed with children
Net worth
As of 2022, Francis Uzoho earns a Whooping $283,757 annually from his club.
Achievements
Omonia
- Cypriot Cup: 2021–22
Controversy
Uzoho’s age has always been controversial among football lovers who believe he is older than his age.
According to him, his look was the result of intensive training.
In June 2020, Uzoho took to his Facebook page to post a picture of a young 17-year-old boy with the caption, “wow, my second son Michael is 17 today. I seek God’s blessings for him. Daddy loves you, boy”
This raised controversy among netizens who questioned him on how a 19-year-old could give birth to a 17-year-old child.
Uzoho, seeing the comments, quickly deleted the post. He did not make any effort to debunk whether it was his son or not.
Disclaimer
The information in this article was curated from online sources. NewsWireNGR or its editorial team cannot independently verify all details.
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