By Balogun Kamilu Lekan
Biography
Ugochukwu John Ogu is a professional footballer from Nigeria who plays as a midfielder for an Israeli club Maccabi Jaffa, and the Nigeria national football team.
He was born on April 20, 1988, in Lagos. Ogu is 34 years old as of 2022
Club Career
John Ogu began his football career playing for the Akwa Starlets, Akwa United, and Flying Sports Academy before heading to Slovenia to join PrvaLiga and then later to Drava Ptuj
During his four-year stint, John Ogu made 97 appearances and scored eight goals.
Ogu joined Atlético Clube de Portugal in the summer of 2010, where he played in Portugal’s Terceira Diviso.
After six months, he relocated to neighbouring Spain and joined Almera, but he only played in the third tier for Almera B. Ogu returned to Portugal in November 2011 and joined Leiria. However, the team was relegated to the second level at the end of the season.
In 2012, Ogu left Leiria to join Académica from Primeira Liga
Ogu signed a four-year contract with Hapoel Be’er Sheva in September 2014. He scored his first goal for the squad in a 4-0 home win over Maccabi Netanya in November 2015. He helped the squad win the state championship and was a candidate for footballer of the year. Ogu won the Israel Super Cup with the club.
In January 2020, he signed a six-month contract with Al-Adalah. He appeared in seven games before departing the team.
On February 2, 2022, Ogu returned to Israel and joined the newly promoted team H. Nof HaGalil for the remainder of the campaign. On May 30, 2022, he joined Maccabi Jaffa.
International Career
Ogu made his debut against Kenya in a 1-1 tie, coming on as a replacement for an injured Victor Moses.
He bagged his first international goal in a friendly match against Mexico in 2013 at Houston’s Reliant Stadium.
He was also part of Stephen Keshi’s 23-man squad to represent Nigeria at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.
John also made the Nigerian 30-man roster for Russia’s 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Relationship
John Ogu is married to his long-time girlfriend, Vera, and they have a daughter together. The marriage, however, reportedly ended up in a messy divorce.
Net worth
John Ogu’s net worth is estimated at $1.8 million. However, NewsWireNgr cannot independently verify it
Achievements
Honours
Hapoel Beer Sheva
- 2018: Israeli Premier League
- 2017: Israeli Premier League
- 2017: Israel Super Cup
- 2017: Toto Cup
- 2016: Israeli Premier League
- 2016: Israel Super Cup
Controversy
Ogu was reportedly accused of abandoning his daughter, Ivanna, after he divorced his wife, Vera.
The accusation came from Mimi, his estranged wife’s sister.
Ogo took to his Twitter page to celebrate his daughter on her birthday. He wrote “On this day last year, I was in uyo serving my father land on your special day against South Africa . Today is your special day and I still can’t spend this day with you my Baby girl. Daddy is out here working hard to make you proud in Russia . Happy Birthday my love!!”
Mimi replied with a clap back at the football star. She said “But Daddy was in Nigeria 2 weeks ago and didn’t see his daughter! Oh I forgot Daddy hasn’t seen his daughter since he kicked her and her mom out from Isreal LAST YEAR. You can do everything John but what you won’t do is pretend like you’re Ivanna’s life for the gram.”
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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