Ogenyi Onazi
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ogenyi Eddy Onazi | ||
| Date of birth | 25 December 1992[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Jos, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Lazio | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| El Kanemi Warriors | |||
| My People | |||
| 2011–2012 | Lazio | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012– | Lazio | 6 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2009 | Nigeria U-17 | 7 | (0) |
| 2011 | Nigeria U-20 | 5 | (0) |
| 2012– | Nigeria | 8 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 2 March 2013 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11 February 2013 | |||
Ogenyi Eddy Onazi (born 25 December 1992 in Jos) is a Nigerian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Lazio.
Club career
Early years in Nigeria
Onazi began playing football with the Pepsi Football Academy in his hometown of Jos[2]. After six months, he joined the junior team of the El-Kanemi Warriors, a professional club.
Continuing his development, Onazi moved to the city of Lagos to play for My People, which was established by Nigerian Pastor T.B. Joshua for the purpose of promoting talented young footballers.
Lazio
Onazi joined Lazio in 2011, alongside his teammate, Sani Emmanuel. The pair trialled in Italy following their impressive performances at the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup, in which Nigeria reached the final on home soil, losing to Switzerland.
Onazi was first promoted to the Lazio first team during the 2011-12 season after impressing at youth level. He made his Serie A debut as a substitute in the penultimate match of the season, replacing Senad Lulić in the 90th minute. Lazio recorded a 2-0 victory over Atalanta at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia in Bergamo.[3]
Under coach Vladimir Petković, Onazi was granted more playing time alongside Cristian Ledesma in a defensive midfielder role. Notably, Onazi started in a UEFA Europa League match against Tottenham at White Hart Lane, which ended in a 0-0 draw.
On March 7, 2013 scored his first goal for Lazio against Stuttgart last sixteen of Europa League game ended 2-0 for Lazio.[4]
International career
As a 16-year old, Onazi represented his country at the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup, where Nigeria finished runners-up.
However, Onazi was overlooked for selection at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup two years later, despite participating in the training camps in Portugal and Panama[5].
His improvement at Lazio saw Onazi overcome the disappointment of missing the U-20 World Cup in Colombia and he made his debut for the senior Nigeria national team in an African Cup of Nations qualification match against Liberia.
Onazi's first goal came in just his second international match, a 3-1 friendly win over Venezuela in Florida.
He was called up to Nigeria's 23-man squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.[6] Onazi came on as a substitute in Nigeria's first match of the tournament against Burkina Faso, whom they would eventually face again in the final. Notably, Onazi played every minute of all Nigeria's games in the knockout phase, including the final.
Statistics
- Statistics accurate as of match played 7 March 2013.
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Lazio | 2011–12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012–13 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | |
| Total Lazio | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | |
| Career total | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | |
International goals
- Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 15 November 2012 | Marlins Park, Miami, Florida |  Venezuela |
3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
References
- ^ Ogenyi Onazi – FIFA competition record (archived)
- ^ Eaglet Onazi soars to fly with the Super Eagles
- ^ http://www.football-italia.net/SerieA/match/9925 SERIE A MATCH REPORT Serie A Week 37–6 May 2012 (15.00 UK) Atalanta 0 - 2 Lazio
- ^ Ederson e Onazi, Lazio padrona d'Europa ilmessaggero.it
- ^ Eaglet Onazi soars to fly with the Super Eagles
- ^ Oluwashina Okeleji (10 January 2013). "Nations Cup 2013: Nigeria pick six locally-based players". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
External links
 | ||