Early Life and Career Beginnings
Obafemi Martins was born in Nigeria, in Lagos, on October 28, 1984. The beginning of his career was quite interesting. A talented young man was scouted by the coach of the local football club F.C. Ebedei, manager Churchill Oliseh, while he was playing on the streets of his hometown.
Within a year of training ground, the gifted player was caught into sight of European scouts. After some preliminary tests a contract with A.C Reggiana was penned. After a two-month trial, Martins and fellow Ebedei teammate Stephan Makinwa signed youth contracts with the club in 2000. Obafemi became famous quite quickly, as in agility and skill he had few equals.
Inter Milan
A £750,000 transfer fee took Martins to Internazionale in 2001 and in his first season he scored 23 goals for the youth team, helping them to the Italian Under-18 title. So there's no wonder that very soon he played for the Italian club Inter Milan. As a member of 'Black-and-Blue' team, Martins proved his worth by scoring 23 goals for the youth team of the club.
His form for the youth side led to his first-team league debut the following season, in a match against Parma in December 2002. He didn't become a regular member of the first team squad until the 2002-03 season.
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He played in his first UEFA Champions League match that season, and came on as a substitute against his future employers, Newcastle United, at St James' Park. He scored his first Champions League goal in a match against Bayer 04 Leverkusen to secure Inter's place in the quarter finals; footage of his celebratory somersaults were subsequently used by UEFA to advertise the following season's competition. He scored again in the semi-final match against Inter's arch-rivals AC Milan, but couldn't prevent the club losing out on away goals to the competition's eventual winners. He ended the season with one league goal in four game. Martins did not become a regular member of the first team squad until the 2002-03 season. During this season he was given his first UEFA Champions League appearance by manager Héctor Cúper, entering as a substitute against his future employers, Newcastle United, at St James' Park.
Obafemi gained success with Inter, taking the pitch about 100 times and scoring 39 goals. During his career with Inter Obafemi won the Italian Cup and the Super Cup (twice each). Martins signed a long-term contract with Inter Milan in 2005 which ran until 2010 and was worth around €2.5 million annually. His good form for Inter continued and he was called to play in the 2006 Africa Cup Nations for Nigeria. Although he had some success with Inter, scoring 28 goals for the club in 88 league games as well as 11 goals in European competitions, he was sold in August 2006. This was due to Inter bringing in two new strikers; first Argentinian Herman Crespo was brought in on loan from Chelsea and then the Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic was bought by Inter from Juventus.
Newcastle United
Obafemi Martins Top 5 NUFC Goals
Martins made his debut on 27 August, in the 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa, in which he was stretchered off with a knee injury. It turned out that Martins suffered a severe dead leg and internal bleeding. His unremarkable first few appearances for Newcastle caused manager Glenn Roeder to speak out in his defence. Martins made his Premier League debut on 27 August, in the 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa, in which he was stretchered off with a knee injury. It turned out that Martins suffered a severe dead leg and internal bleeding.
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However, on 17 September, Martins scored his first goal at the Gallowgate End for Newcastle. It was the second goal in a 2-0 victory over West Ham United at Upton Park, and from there his goalscoring form began to improve steadily. Reports in January 2007 suggested that Chelsea were considering making an offer for Martins' services after his impressive form. These reports were later rubbished by Martins himself, and Roeder stated that although he was interested in signing a Chelsea player, he would not allow Martins to leave Newcastle. On 14 January, in a 2-3 away win against Tottenham Hotspur, Martins' 20-yard shot rocketed into the net. This was his tenth goal for Newcastle. Martins ended his first season on Tyneside with 17 goals in 46 games.
His second season was somewhat mixed. With new manager Sam Allardyce preferring to play Michael Owen and Mark Viduka up front, Martins found himself being used as an impact substitute for the first half of the season. Despite this he managed to score consistently, and when Allardyce was sacked and Kevin Keegan was appointed, Martins found himself being used as part of a three pronged attack along with Owen and Viduka. Martins scored less goals in his second season with Newcastle, mainly due to him no longer being the focal point of all their attacks as he was in his first season with them, as well as his season being interrupted with the African Cup of Nations participation with Nigeria in December.
Martins scored six goals in 12 league games during the first half of the 2008-09 season before a torn hamstring ruled him out for several games. It was confirmed on 7 January 2009, that Martins would undergo hernia surgery in Germany the next Monday. He was operated on by renowned specialist Dr. Ulrike Muschaweck. He did make it back in time for the last two games of the season, scoring in a relegation six-pointer derby against Middlesbrough. However, he could not stop Newcastle being relegated to the Championship. He initially reiterated his desire to stay and help the club return to the Premier League for the 2009-10 season, but he eventually left for VfL Wolfsburg. His last game was on a preseason friendly against Leyton Orient, which Newcastle lost 6-1. During his three-year spell on Tyneside, Martins amassed 35 goals in all competitions from 104 games.
VfL Wolfsburg
On 29 July 2009, Newcastle accepted a £9 million bid from Bundesliga champions VfL Wolfsburg, the transfer was confirmed on 31 July with Martins signing a four-year contract. For his debut, Martins came on as a second half substitute against 1. FC Köln at the Rhein Energie Stadion, with his team deadlocked at 1-1. He helped in the buildup to the second goal and capped off his first appearance in the Bundesliga with a well-taken goal after dribbling past two onrushing defenders and then coolly finishing from six yards out, slotting the ball past the goalkeeper to the far post.
Rubin Kazan
On 9 July 2010, Martins was sold for a reported €17 million to reigning Russian Premier League champions Rubin Kazan. He signed a three-year contract and told BBC Sport : “I am joining a team of champions and I hope to bring my best to the club to make them even greater.” Martins' agent, Nicola Walter, revealed that Rubin met all of the player's requirements and that manager Kurban Berdyev had a “massive role” for him to play, following the departure of striker Aleksandr Bukharov. Martins was able to make his debut with Rubin after 1 August, when the transfer window was opened. On 9 May 2012, Rubin Kazan won the Russian Cup giving Martins his first trophy in Russia.
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Loan to Birmingham City
Following the birth of his child, Martins requested a move to England to be nearer to his family. On 31 January 2011, he joined Premier League club Birmingham City on loan until the end of the season, with the option of a £5 million permanent deal in the summer of 2011. He made his debut, which had been delayed by the formalities of obtaining a working visa, in the starting eleven against Stoke City on 12 February; he played for 75 minutes as Birmingham won 1-0. He scored his first goal for the club, 17 minutes into the FA Cup fifth-round defeat of Sheffield Wednesday, after a strong run.
Martins scored the winning goal in the 2011 Football League Cup Final as Birmingham beat Arsenal 2-1 at Wembley Stadium, having been brought on as an 83rd-minute substitute. Martins passed the resulting loose ball into the empty net from near the penalty spot. Martins described it as “the easiest goal I've ever scored in my career”. After two more Premier League appearances, he spent several weeks out with an injury eventually diagnosed as a stress fracture of the left tibia. After surgery in late April, he faced a recovery period estimated at three to four months.
Levante
On 13 September 2012, Martins moved to Levante on a free transfer, signing a two-year contract. He made his league debut on 23 September 2012, where he scored his first goal, and the winning goal, in a 2-1 home win against Real Sociedad. Martins scored a brace for Levante in their 3-1 home victory over Granada on 28 October, sending his side into fourth place in the La Liga standings.
Seattle Sounders FC
On 11 March 2013, it was announced that Martins signed with MLS club Seattle Sounders FC as a Designated Player after the club paid a $4 million buyout clause in Martins' contract with Levante.
Shanghai Shenhua
On 18 February 2016, Martins was signed for Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua. On 15 May 2016, he scored his first goal with Shanghai as a late substitute in a 5-1 win over Guangzhou R&F. Martins scored the only goal in the first leg of the 2017 Chinese FA Cup final and scored a spectacular goal in the second.
International Career
Martins has scored seventeen goals in 32 appearances for Nigeria. He was a part of the Nigerian team that finished third in the 2006 African Cup of Nations. Martins scored two goals in the competition, both coming against Senegal in the first round. His future for the national team has been placed in doubt on numerous occasions after separate incidents of controversy.
The NFA soon confirmed that it had been an administrative error and apologised for the confusion it had caused. However Martins threatened to quit playing for the national team after the blunder had initially put his move to Newcastle in doubt. On 6 February 2007, Martins failed to turn up for the 4-1 friendly defeat against Ghana, despite being ordered to play. He later explained his absence was due to the fact he had travelled to Lagos in order to visit his sick mother. The Nigerian caretaker coach Augustine Eguavoen was furious with Martins and threatened to ban him from the national team. On 14 February 2007, Martins apologised for missing the game but said he believed his mother's health was more important. He also said that he would be available to play for Nigeria in the future.
He made his return to the national side on 24 March 2007, playing the full match against Uganda in an African Cup of Nations Qualifying match and won. Following the end of Nigeria's 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign, Nigeria faced Mexico in Ciudad Juárez for a friendly match. Martins scored two goals in a 2-2 draw. On 17 November 2007, Martins captained Nigeria for the first time, in a friendly match against Australia for his 19th appearance. On 12 November 2009 he scored a spectacular goal in the 83rd minute against Kenya in Nairobi, thus ensuring Nigeria's qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Personal Life
Martins had two brothers who also played football professionally. His elder brother, Oladipupo Martins, was also a professional footballer before retiring in 2009 due to heart problems. He died on 8 August 2011 of a suspected heart attack in Lagos, Nigeria. Martins' younger brother is John Ronan Martins. He is married to Ghanaian Abigail Barwuah, the sister of Mario Balotelli.
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