Azubuike Godson Okechukwu (born 19 April 1997) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for TFF First League club Erzurumspor.

Azubuike Okechukwu
Okechukwu at the 2016 Olympics.
Personal information
Full name Azubuike Godson Okechukwu[1]
Date of birth (1997-04-19) 19 April 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth Katsina, Nigeria
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
Erzurumspor
Number 25
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2015 Bayelsa United
2015–2018 Yeni Malatyaspor 83 (0)
2018–2020 Pyramids FC 6 (0)
2019Çaykur Rizespor (loan) 14 (1)
2019–2020İstanbul Başakşehir (loan) 17 (0)
2020–2023 İstanbul Başakşehir 12 (0)
2021Sivasspor (loan) 10 (0)
2022Yeni Malatyaspor (loan) 15 (0)
2023–2024 Çaykur Rizespor 13 (0)
2024– Erzurumspor 4 (0)
International career
Nigeria U23
2016 Nigeria 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:41, 4 October 2024 (UTC)

Club career

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Born in Katsina, Okechukwu has played club football for Bayelsa United and Yeni Malatyaspor.[1][2]

On 19 August 2018, Okechukwu joined Egyptian Premier League side Pyramids FC.[3]

In January 2019, he joined Çaykur Rizespor on loan until the end of the season.[4] On 10 July 2019, İstanbul Başakşehir confirmed, that they had signed Okechukwu on a season-long loan deal.[5][6] He won the Turkish championship with the club.[7]

In August 2020, Okechukwu signed a permanent contract with İstanbul Başakşehir.[7] In July 2021 he moved on loan to Sivasspor.[8] He moved on loan to Yeni Malatyaspor in January 2022.[1]

After returning to Çaykur Rizespor on a permanent basis,[9] he signed for Erzurumspor in August 2024.[10]

International career

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Okechukwu made his international debut for the Nigeria national team in 2016,[2] and he was selected by Nigeria for their 35-man provisional squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Azubuike Okechukwu at Soccerway. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Azubuike Okechukwu". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Pyramids beat Galatasaray to signing Okechukwu Azubuike". kingfut.com. 19 August 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Çaykur Rizespor, Azubuike ile anlaştı!" (in Turkish). Sporx. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  5. ^ Basaksehir Dedicate Video To Teach Teammates & Fans How to Pronounce New Transfer Azubuike Okechukwu’s Name, turkish-football.com, 10 July 2019
  6. ^ "Medipol Başakşehir Okechukwu Azubuike'yi Renklerine Bağladı" (in Turkish). NTV Spor. 10 July 2019. Archived from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Azubuike Okechukwu hopes Turkish Super Lig title opens Super Eagles door". ESPN. 25 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Azubuike Okechukwu Joins Turkish Club Sivasspor On Loan". 30 July 2021.
  9. ^ IHA, Daily Sabah with (1 March 2023). "Nigerian midfielder Okechukwu Azubuike feels at home in Rize". Daily Sabah.
  10. ^ Oyebola, Mike (17 August 2024). "Transfer: Okechukwu moves to Turkish club, Erzurumspor". Daily Post Nigeria.
  11. ^ Oluwashina Okeleji (24 June 2016). "Kelechi Iheanacho included in Nigeria's Olympics squad". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 June 2016.