Few footballers have a story as unusual as Peter Odemwingie’s. He was born in Tashkent, in what was then the Soviet Union, to a Nigerian father and a mother of Russian and Tatar heritage. He grew up partly in Nigeria, played in France and Russia, and became a Premier League goalscorer in England. He represented Nigeria at World Cups and the Olympics. Yet to many English fans, he is best remembered for an extraordinary afternoon in January 2013, when he drove to another club’s stadium hoping to complete a transfer that never happened.
Early career and West Brom
Peter Osaze Odemwingie was born on 15 July 1981 in Tashkent. His father was studying medicine in the Soviet Union. The family later moved to Nigeria. He began his professional career at Bendel Insurance in Nigeria before moving to Europe. He played for La Louvière in Belgium and then joined Lille in France, where he became a regular scorer.
In 2007 he joined Lokomotiv Moscow in Russia, the country of his mother’s family. In 2010 he joined West Bromwich Albion and scored regularly in the Premier League, becoming a fan favourite.
Deadline day and the Super Eagles
On the last day of the January 2013 transfer window, he drove to Queens Park Rangers’ stadium believing a move was agreed. The clubs had not completed the deal, and he was filmed outside the ground. The episode became one of English football’s most famous deadline-day stories. He later played for Cardiff City, Stoke City and Rotherham United.
Odemwingie played for Nigeria at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups and at several Africa Cups of Nations. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he was part of Nigeria’s squad that won the silver medal.
Style and life after football
He was a quick, skilful forward who could play wide or through the middle. Raised between cultures, he speaks Russian and English. After retiring, he has worked in media and football-related projects. West Brom supporters were upset by the deadline-day episode, and his relationship with the club cooled before his departure. Peter Odemwingie scored many Premier League goals. The image fans recall first, though, is of him standing outside a stadium on deadline day, waiting for a call that did not come.