Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins was born on 28 October 1984 and is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a forward.
47 Facts About Obafemi Martins
2.
Obafemi Martins is known for his speed on the ball.
3.
Obafemi Martins began his senior career in 2002 at Serie A club Inter Milan, before he moved to Premier League club Newcastle United in 2006, and then to Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg in 2009.
4.
Obafemi Martins spent a season with La Liga club Levante, he played for Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer from 2013 to 2015, scoring 40 goals, before spending several years in China with Shanghai Shenhua and Wuhan.
5.
In club football, Martins has won the Serie A title, the Italian Cup, and the Italian Super Cup, all with Inter.
6.
Obafemi Martins has played European football with Inter, Newcastle and Wolfsburg, winning the UEFA Intertoto Cup with Newcastle.
7.
In international football, Obafemi Martins has been in the Nigerian squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2006,2008 and 2010, and for the FIFA World Cup in 2010.
8.
Obafemi Martins joined the local football club FC Ebedei, having been scouted by manager Churchill Oliseh while playing on the streets of his hometown.
9.
Obafemi Martins scored his first Champions League goal in a match against Bayer 04 Leverkusen to secure Inter's place in the quarter-finals; footage of his celebratory somersaults were subsequently used by UEFA to advertise the following season's competition.
10.
Obafemi Martins scored again in the semi-final match against Inter's arch-rivals Milan, but couldn't prevent the club losing out on away goals to the competition's eventual winners.
11.
Obafemi Martins was protagonist in team's successful run in Coppa Italia, scoring six goals, including a hat-trick against Bologna, as the tournament ended in conquest.
12.
Obafemi Martins amassed 22 goals in 45 matches across all competitions, setting a new personal best; his good form for Inter earned him a spot in Nigeria's 2006 Africa Cup of Nations squad.
13.
Obafemi Martins ended his first season on Tyneside with 17 goals in 46 games.
14.
Obafemi Martins was operated on by renowned specialist Dr Ulrike Muschaweck.
15.
Obafemi Martins did make it back in time for the last two games of the season, scoring in a relegation six-pointer derby against Middlesbrough.
16.
Obafemi Martins helped in the buildup to the second goal and capped off his first appearance in the Bundesliga with a well-taken goal after dribbling past two onrushing defenders and then coolly finishing from six yards out, slotting the ball past the goalkeeper to the far post.
17.
Obafemi Martins scored his first goal for the club, 17 minutes into the FA Cup fifth-round defeat of Sheffield Wednesday, after a strong run.
18.
Obafemi Martins passed the resulting loose ball into the empty net from near the penalty spot.
19.
Obafemi Martins described it as "the easiest goal I've ever scored in my career".
20.
On 13 September 2012, Obafemi Martins moved to Levante on a free transfer, signing a two-year contract.
21.
The move concluded weeks of speculation of a possible Obafemi Martins move to Seattle.
22.
Obafemi Martins scored his first goal for the club on 20 April 2013, performing his signature back-flip goal celebration.
23.
On 24 October 2014, Obafemi Martins signed a new three-year contract extension with Seattle, nearly doubling his annual salary to more than $3 million.
24.
The assist meant that Obafemi Martins finished with 17 goals during the regular season, a club record, as well as notching 13 assists, a joint-club record held with Mauro Rosales.
25.
Obafemi Martins had a very successful 2014 season with the Sounders, his second with the club, and was named as one of three MLS MVP finalists.
26.
Obafemi Martins was named to the MLS Best XI and the Sounders won every game in which he scored.
27.
Obafemi Martins won MLS Goal of the Year for a looping goal he shot from an extremely tight angle near the end line into the far netting over Earthquakes keeper Jon Busch.
28.
On 18 February 2016, Obafemi Martins was signed for Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua.
29.
Obafemi Martins scored the only goal in the first leg of the 2017 Chinese FA Cup final and scored a spectacular goal in the second.
30.
On 1 June 2018 it was announced that Obafemi Martins had been waived from Shenhua.
31.
Obafemi Martins suffered a torn hamstring in May 2019, and in November 2019 said that he was seeking a new club following his recovery from injury.
32.
On 15 July 2020, it was announced that Obafemi Martins returned to Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua.
33.
On 20 September 2020, after his Shanghai Shenhua contract was terminated, Obafemi Martins joined Chinese Super League club Wuhan Zall on a short-term deal until the end of the season.
34.
Obafemi Martins made his debut for Nigeria in 2004 at the age of 19 in the 2004 Unity Cup scoring the second goal, in the tri-nations Unity Cup tournament in London.
35.
Obafemi Martins was a part of the Nigerian team that finished third in the 2006 African Cup of Nations.
36.
Obafemi Martins scored two goals in the competition, both coming against Senegal in the first round.
37.
However Obafemi Martins threatened to quit playing for the national team after the blunder initially put his move to Newcastle in doubt.
38.
Obafemi Martins later explained his absence was due to the fact he had travelled to Lagos to visit his sick mother.
39.
On 14 February 2007, Obafemi Martins apologised for missing the game but said he believed his mother's health was more important.
40.
Obafemi Martins said that he would be available to play for Nigeria in the future.
41.
Obafemi Martins made his return to the national side on 24 March 2007, playing the full match against Uganda in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match and won.
42.
On 17 November 2007, Obafemi Martins captained Nigeria for the first time, in a friendly match against Australia for his 19th appearance.
43.
At the finals in South Africa, Obafemi Martins played in just two games for a total of 71 minutes, without scoring.
44.
Obafemi Martins died on 8 August 2011 of a suspected heart attack in Lagos, Nigeria.
45.
Obafemi Martins received his US green card in 2015 which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.
46.
Obafemi Martins is married to Ghanaian-Italian Abigail Barwuah, sister of Mario Balotelli.
47.
Obafemi Martins's elder son Kevin Maussi Martins was born on 31 January 2005 and followed on his father's footsteps and became a youth international for Italy.