Julius Aghahowa
Aghahowa with Shakhtar Donetsk in 2010
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Julius Efosa Aghahowa | ||
| Date of birth | 12 February 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Benin City, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Police Machines | |||
| Bendel Insurance | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–1999 | Bendel Insurance | ||
| 1999–2000 | Espérance | ||
| 2000–2007 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 89 | (32) |
| 2007–2008 | Wigan Athletic | 20 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Kayserispor | 29 | (6) |
| 2009–2012 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 10 | (1) |
| 2010–2011 | → Sevastopol (loan) | 10 | (1) |
| Total | 158 | (40) | |
| National team | |||
| 2000-2007 | Nigeria | 32 | (14) |
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* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
Julius Aghahowa (born 12 February 1982 in Benin City) is a retired Nigerian footballer. He was known for his pace and his back-flips when he scored goals. Aghahowa became the first foreign national outside of the former Soviet Union who was among the best scorers in the Ukrainian Premier League (2000-01).
Aghahowa played for Nigeria at four Africa Cup of Nations, the 2002 World Cup and the 2000 Olympics, as well as playing top-flight football in Tunisia, Ukraine, England and Turkey.
Aghahowa began his career with the Police Machines, a local police team, and went on to Bendel Insurance. He signed for Danish lower division team Herning Fremad before the 1999 African Youth Championship, but Aghahowa performed so well there that he wanted to play for a bigger club. He ended up with the Tunisian champions, Espérance, when he procured a contract with the Tunisians which predated the Herning Fremad contract.
In the middle of the 2000–01 season, Aghahowa transferred to Shakhtar Donetsk, who soon won the Ukrainian league championship. Aghahowa won the game for Shakhtar in the 2006 Ukrainian Championship against Dynamo Kyiv, heading the winner in extra-time and being named man of the match. His performance in the final has been widely seen as the "saving grace" of his career at Shakhtar, with his future at the club looking bleak earlier in the season. After playing over six years for Shakhtar Donetsk, Aghahowa left for Wigan Athletic.
His work permit was passed and on 30 January 2007, he signed for Wigan Athletic for an undisclosed fee, playing his first Premiership match for them against Portsmouth on 3 February. Aghahowa did not score for Wigan in one and half years and on 20 June 2008, he signed for Kayserispor.
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