Former Super Eagles and Stoke City striker Peter Osaze Odemwingie provided information on what made his career as a footballer a stellar one Sportsbuddy.ng reports.
Odemwingie was born in Uzbekistan to a Russian mother and a Nigerian father, though he relocated to Benin City at the age of two.
He later continued his secondary education in Russia, and was enrolled at the CSKA Moscow Academy before returning to Edo State at 17 to join his father who was an insurance doctor.
Learning from Nigerian Football Heroes
When asked about why he wanted to start his career with Bendel Insurance, Odemwingie expressed his desire to join the NPFL.
“I joined Bendel Insurance at 17. I trained with Pius Ikedia and Julius Aghahowa who were fantastic players. There were a lot of people to learn from; we had Augustine Eguavoen as General Manager”.
Born in Uzbekistan to a Russian Mum & Nigerian Dad before moving to Benin City as a two-year-old.
Peter Odemwingie returned🇷🇺to complete his secondary education. He joined the academy of CSKA Moscow.
Returned to🇳🇬where his dad was Insurance doctor🥼
Spoke to #OldNaijaFootball pic.twitter.com/l2z6bSuQ3o
— Oluwashina Okeleji (@oluwashina) July 8, 2024
Journey through Nigerian Football
Odemwingie also focused on the local players and local experiences while building his professional career. Seeing these guys daily motivated me.
I watched them play at Ogbe Stadium and realized if they could start here and go international, I could too.
So with that hope and determination, I always advise people not to expect things to fall into their laps Some don’t believe I played in the NPFL, but I traveled across Nigeria, from the North to Port Harcourt.
I scored against teams like Sunshine Stars in Akure and Pepsi Academy in Kad
