Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Odafa Onyeka Okolie | ||
Date of birth | 6 June 1985 | ||
Place of birth | Nigeria | ||
Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
Playing position | Striker | ||
Club information | |||
Current team
|
Southern Samity | ||
Number | 10 | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2003–2004 | Mohammedan | 0 | (0) |
2004–2005 | Muktijoddha | 28 | (34) |
2005–2011 | Churchill Brothers | (106) | |
2011–2014 | Mohun Bagan | 92 | (91) |
2014– | Churchill Brothers | ||
2015– | → Sporting Goa (Loan) | 12 | (9) |
2017– | Southern Samity | 9 | (9) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:05, 28 May 2017 (UTC). |
Odafa Onyeka Okolie (born 1985 in Nigeria), is a Nigerian football player who plays for Southern Samity in I-League 2nd Division . He was the highest paid footballer in I-league earning INR 3 crore (equivalent to USD 600,000) per year in 2011. Odafa is second in the list of all-time leading goalscorer in the I-League and NFL history with 179 goals, and has been the top goal scorer on three consecutive editions. He also holds the record for scoring the most number of hat-tricks in both I-League and NFL combined, with 14 hat-tricks across all seasons, including 13 of those in the I-League.
After a lackluster start to his career which saw him play for Indian club Mohammedan S.C. and Bangladesh club Muktijoddha SKC where he only made nil and 28 appearances respectively and scored 34 goals with SKC, Odafe went back to India and signed for Churchill Brothers S.C. in the I-League in 2005. It took him till the 2006–07 season to break out though as he scored 12 goals that season with Churchill. Then during the 2007–08 season, Odafa scored 22 goals in 16 games and was top scorer in the new I-League. Odafa was the all-time leading scorer in the I-League after three seasons and is undoubtedly one of the deadliest strikers ever to have played in India. He was also the former captain of Churchill Brothers.
On 1 June 2011, he signed a one-year deal with Mohun Bagan A.C. for approximately $600,000. On October 23, 2011, Odafa scored a hat-trick in his debut for Bagan in a 3–1 victory over Pailan Arrows.