Kevin Onyekachi Amuneke (born 10 May 1986) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He spent most of his professional career in Europe, mainly in Portugal and Sweden.
 Amuneke playing for Öster in 2012. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kevin Onyekachi Amuneke | ||
| Date of birth | 10 May 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Eziobodo, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Soccer Warriors | |||
| 1999–2002 | Benfica | ||
| 2002–2003 | Porto | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003 | Porto B | 6 | (0) |
| 2004–2006 | Landskrona BoIS | 48 | (16) |
| 2006–2007 | Vitória Setúbal | 28 | (4) |
| 2007 | CSKA Sofia | 10 | (2) |
| 2008 | IFK Norrköping | 27 | (6) |
| 2009 | Politehnica Timişoara | 2 | (0) |
| 2009–2011 | Nacional | 16 | (2) |
| 2011–2012 | Öster | 12 | (2) |
| 2013 | Trelleborg | 4 | (0) |
| 2013 | Tondela | 1 | (0) |
| 2014 | Sloboda Užice | 4 | (0) |
| 2015 | IS Halmia | 13 | (4) |
| 2016 | Ballynure Old Boys | 8 | (12) |
| 2017 | Linfield | 2 | (0) |
| 2017 | Portadown | 9 | (5) |
| International career | |||
| 2005 | Nigeria | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
editAmuneke was born in Eziobodo. After starting out at Benfica and Porto, representing only the youth teams in the first case and the youths and the reserves in the second,[1][2] he began his professional career in Sweden with Landskrona BoIS (where he played alongside brother Kingsley) and, after two years, returned to Portugal, appearing for Vitória de Setúbal in the Primeira Liga.[3]
On 21 May 2007, after cancelling out his contract unilaterally, Amuneke agreed to join CSKA Sofia in Bulgaria for about €400,000.[4] However, he returned to Sweden in December of the same year to play for IFK Norrköping in the top level – the transfer fee was this time reported as €300,000.
After a brief stint in Romania with Politehnica Timişoara, Amuneke moved back to Portugal, signing with Madeira's Nacional in early July 2009.[5] Not having been used at all during the first part of the 2010–11 season,[6] he was released by the club, resuming his career with Öster in the Superettan.
Amuneke rarely settled in the following years, representing in quick succession Trelleborg (Sweden), Tondela (Portugal), Sloboda Užice (Serbia) and IS Halmia (Sweden). On 21 December 2016, after a stint at Ballynure Old Boys of the Ballymena & Provincial Football League, he moved to the NIFL Premiership having agreed to a short-term deal at Linfield.
International career
editAmuneke won two caps for Nigeria, both during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, featuring against Rwanda and Angola in June 2005.[7]
Personal life
editAmuneke's older brothers, Emmanuel and Kingsley, were also footballers.[8] The former, a winger, played amongst others for Sporting CP and FC Barcelona, and was also a Nigerian international.
Honours
editCSKA Sofia
Linfield
References
edit- ^ "Irmão de Amunike brilha nas camadas jovens do Benfica" [Amunike brother shines in Benfica's youth system]. Record. 18 February 2000. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ "Amuneke: "Tentarei chegar ao nível do meu irmão"" [Amuneke: "I will try to reach the level of my brother"]. Record. 22 September 2006. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ "Três ainda à espera de certificação" [Three still waiting for certificate]. Record. 25 August 2006. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ "Amuneke no CSKA de Sófia à revelia dos sadinos" [Amuneke in CSKA Sofia without the sadinos consent]. Record. 12 June 2007. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ "Amuneke vai ser reforço" [Amuneke will be an addition]. Record. 4 July 2009. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ "Amuneke está por colocar" [Amuneke awaits relocation]. Record. 5 July 2010. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ a b c d Kevin Amuneke at National-Football-Teams.com
- ^ Scott, Carl-Gustaf (16 September 2015). African Footballers in Sweden: Race, Immigration, and Integration in the Age of Globalization. Springer. ISBN 978-1-1375-3509-2.
External links
edit- NigerianPlayers profile
- Kevin Amuneke at ForaDeJogo (archived)
- Kevin Amuneke at National-Football-Teams.com
- Kevin Amuneke – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Kevin Amuneke at Soccerway
