1. John Chukwudi Utaka was born on 8 January 1982 and is a Nigerian former footballer who played as a striker and is currently a youth coach at Montpellier HSC.
16 Facts About John Utaka
1. 2.
John Utaka is the older brother of fellow professional footballer Peter Utaka.
3.
John Utaka has represented Nigeria at two World Cups and three Africa Cup of Nations since his debut in 2002.
4.
John Utaka is the founder of the John Utaka Football Academy Minna, Niger state.
5.
John Utaka first moved to Egypt in 1998, joining Arab Contractors and subsequently Ismaily.
6.
John Utaka played alongside the likes of Mohammed Barakat, Islam El-Shater, and captain Mohamed Salah Abo Greisha under the guidance of Mohsen Saleh, later appointed coach of Egypt.
7.
John Utaka joined Al-Sadd of Qatar in 2001 for a fee of $1 million.
8.
John Utaka struggled to make an impact at the start of his Rennes stint.
9.
John Utaka scored his first goal on 11 August 2007 in a game against newly promoted Derby County.
10.
John Utaka provided the cross for the winning goal which was scored by Nwankwo Kanu.
11.
John Utaka hit out at these reports, claiming that he earned only a third of that figure.
12.
On 29 January 2011, John Utaka signed for French first division side Montpellier, agreeing a two-and-a-half year deal for an undisclosed fee.
13.
On 1 August 2013, John Utaka joined the Turkish club Sivasspor on a two-year contract.
14.
John Utaka played for Nigeria until 2014 and was a participant at the 2002 World Cup.
15.
John Utaka started four of Nigeria's six games in the 2006 African Cup of Nations, in which Nigeria finished in third place.
16.
John Utaka was part of the Nigeria squad that participated in the 2010 World Cup.