John UTAKA
Presentation
Retired
NIGERIA
Full name | John Chukwudi Utaka | |||||||||||
Born | Jan 8, 1982 Enugu, NIGERIA | |||||||||||
Age | 42 years old | |||||||||||
Size | 1.80 m | |||||||||||
Weight | 80 kg | |||||||||||
Position | Centre forward Winger | |||||||||||
Arrival(s) |
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Departure(s) |
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Numbers | 7 | |||||||||||
Honours | Joueur du mois en Ligue 1 (février 2006 avec Rennes) | |||||||||||
Selections | Nigéria A | |||||||||||
Career |
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John Utaka signed for Stade Rennais FC in July 2005 from RC Lens for a sum of 6 Million Euros, with the plan of making a name for himself in the UEFA Cup. The pacy and technically-gifted striker took 6 months to adapt to his new club, and more particularly his role as back-up for the strike pairing of Frei and Monterrubio. Having scored two goals in the first-half of the season, he scored a goal which was as fabulous as it was historic at Nantes in a 2-0 win in January 2006. After returning from injury in mid-February, Bölöni played him as centre-forward in the absence of Frei. The Nigerian went on to have a stellar end to the season, adding 13 goals to his tally, including two consecutive hat-tricks, against Lens (4-1) and Lyon away (4-1), which were enough to earn him the Player of the Month award for Ligue 1 in March, not forgetting a four-goal haul against Colmar in the French Cup (4-1). In the 2006/2007 season, with Dréossi in charge, Utaka built a better understanding with Briand, and – again – finished the season with a flourish, and a goal on the last day of the season at Lille (1-1), which came so close to qualifying the club for the Champions League. In July 2007, he was transferred to Portsmouth for 10 Million Euros.