Odion Ighalo is one of the most successful Nigerian players both on and off the field. Here are notable pieces of information about him including his biography, career, profile, age, salary, net worth, marital status, house, cars, pictures, latest news, transfer news etc.
Who is Odion Ighalo?
Odion Ighalo is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Saudi club Al Hilal and the Nigeria national team, the Super Eagles.
He was born in Lagos, Nigeria on June 16, 1989, and has had a long and successful career which has seen him play for multiple clubs in top European leagues and also in Asia.
This article will look at Odion Ighalo's net worth, age, salary, wife, cars, social media profiles, etc. Dig in and find out more about the striker's successful career.
Odion Ighalo profile
Full name: Odion Jude Ighalo
Gender: Male
Date of birth: 16 June 1989
Age: 33 years old, as of May 2023
Place of birth: Lagos, Nigeria
Nationality: Nigerian
Religion: Christianity
Height: 5'11"
Mother: Martina Ighalo
Father: Paul Ighalo
Marital status: Married
Wife: Sonia Ighalo
Net worth: Estimated to be $38.5 million
Market value: €2 million according to Transfermarkt
Instagram: @ighalojude
Twitter: @ighalojude
Odion Ighalo Biography
Odion Jude Ighalo was born and bred in Ajegunle, a ghetto in Lagos, Nigeria to his mother Martina and father Paul Ighalo and was raised alongside his brother, Daniel Ighalo.
Ighalo started his career at Nigerian club Prime and moved on to another Nigerian club Julius Berger before finally getting his first European move in 2007 to Norwegian club Lyn.
A year later, he was signed by Italian club Udinese but found game time hard to come by and then spent most of his tenure on two separate loan spells with Spanish club Granada.
Ighalo scored 16 goals to help Granada seal promotion to La Liga after which he also joined Watford in the English Championship.
He was integral in the club's promotion to the Premier League in the 2014–15 season where he led the Hornets with 16 goals in 37 games in his first Premier League season.
In January 2017, Ighalo joined Chinese Super League club Changchun Yatai for a reported £20 million where he scored 36 goals in 55 games in his two years.
One more year in China followed with Shanghai Shenhua where he scored 10 goals in 19 games and as such attracted the attention of his favourite club Manchester United.
In January 2020, Ighalo returned to England, joining Manchester United on loan, initially until the end of the 2019–20 season; the loan was then extended until January 2021 and he managed five goals in 23 games for the club.
His next adventure was in Saudi Arabia with Al Shabab where he scored 22 goals in 32 games across two seasons after which he joined another team in the same country, Al Hilal where he still plays.
Ighalo led Al Hilal to the Saudi Professional Football League title in his first season in 2021/22 also finishing as the top scorer in the league.
He still plays for Al Hilal and just finished the season with 26 goals in 37 games across all competitions.
What is Odion Ighalo's net worth
Ighalo’s net worth is estimated to be around £30–40 million which makes him the third-richest Nigerian footballer.
How much is Odion Ighalo’s salary in Saudi Arabia
He reportedly earns around £135,000 weekly at Al-Hilal which is less than what he earned at Manchester United.
He reportedly earned a whopping £300,000 according to Salary Sport which is astonishing for someone who had a bench role and played a bit part for the club.
Is Odion Ighalo married?
Yes, the Super Eagles star is married to his wife, Sonia, and they have been together for 13 years now. The couple is blessed with three kids, two sons and one daughter.
Although there are reports that the couple are currently separated due to marital issues but not legally divorced as far as the general public is concerned.
Where is Odion Ighalo from?
The 33-year-old was born in Lagos and was raised in Edo State where his family is from and hails from the Esan region.
Odion Ighalo Super Eagles career
Odion Ighalo made his debut for the Super Eagles on March 24, 2015, after he was called up by then interim coach Daniel Amokachi as a reward for his impressive performances at Watford.
He made his debut for the team on the 25th in a 1-0 defeat at home to Uganda in a friendly game.
He currently has 37 appearances and counting for the Super Eagles and has returned 16 goals, making him the joint-seventh-highest scorer in Nigerian national team history.
The 33-year-old has not won a trophy with Nigeria, the Bronze medal at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt remains his biggest achievement with the Super Eagles.
Ighalo also won the Golden Boot at that tournament with five goals in seven games for Nigeria.
The Ajegunle-born striker has also represented his country at one FIFA World Cup which was the 2018 edition in Russia where he featured in all three group-stage games against Croatia, Iceland and Argentina where he failed to score and Nigeria got knocked out.
He announced his international retirement in 2019 but was recalled to the team two years later by manager Gernot Rohr to aid Nigeria’s 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification bid which ended in failure.
Ighalo has never won a trophy with Nigeria, the bronze medal in 2019 remains his biggest achievement with the team.
Odion Ighalo individual awards
The 33-year-old striker has enjoyed a long and successful career so far laden with multiple individual accolades.
He was named the Premier League Player of the Month for December 2015 for his stellar performances for Watford.
Ighalo was also in the Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament for Egypt 2019 where he also won the Golden Boot with five goals.
He has also won the Player of the Month award for the Saudi Professional League three times in April and May 2021 and then March 2022.
He also won the Golden Boot for the Saudi Professional League in the 2021/22 season for Al Hilal while also being named in the team of the season.
Odion Ighalo social media
Odion Ighalo is on Instagram @ighalojude where he has 1.2 million followers and is an active user with 776 posts. His Instagram posts include pictures of him on and off the pitch, showing off his lavish lifestyle in Saudi Arabia.
He is also on Twitter @Ighalojude where he has just over 947k followers with 3,552 tweets where he is also quite active.
Odion Ighalo latest news
10:14 - 02.06.2023
Ighalo bids farewell to Saudi Arabia club Al Hilal after successful spell
Odion Ighalo became a free agent after his contract with Al Hilal expired at the end of the season. Ighalo left memories in the heart of fans of the Saudi club.
18:30 - 31.05.2023
Ighalo's estranged wife explains why Monkey Style is not enough
'If you like do monkey style, break your waist' - Ighalo's estranged wife sends a bazooka to unknown woman.
23:35 - 27.05.2023
Ighalo scores crucial goal in golden boot race as Al-Hilal move 3rd
Despite Al-Hilal's disappointing league campaign, Odion Ighalo can finish as top goal scorer.
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22:55 - 16.05.2023
Ighalo's Al-Hilal do Ronaldo's Al-Nassr favour in title race
Ronaldo scores in Al-Nassr's win while Ighalo features as Al-Hilal hold the league leaders to a draw.
23:03 - 04.04.2023
Ighalo and Ronaldo continue race for Golden Boot in Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr wins
Ronaldo and Ighalo both grabbed braces in wins for their teams.
19:44 - 07.09.2024
Victor Osimhen now 1 goal behind Segun Odegbami on the top 10 Super Eagles all-time highest goalscorers list [2024]
Victor Osimhen is expected to break Rashidi Yekini's record as the Super Eagles all-time highest goalscorer but which other football stars make the list?
21:02 - 14.03.2023
SAUDI KINGS CUP Odion Ighalo on target in Al-Hilal's cup win
Odion Ighalo continued his impressive scoring form helping Al-Hilal seal a cup quarter-final win against Al-Fateh.
21:36 - 10.03.2023
Super Eagles star Odion Ighalo extends lead over Ronaldo as his brace fires Al Hilal to victory
Ighalo continues to outshine Cristiano Ronaldo in the race for the golden boot as Al-Hilal moved to fourth on the Saudi Arabia Professional League table.
13:50 - 26.01.2023
SUPER EAGLES 'Gernot would have qualified the team for the World Cup' - Ighalo criticises decision to sack Rohr
Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo believes the Super Eagles would have qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup had Gernot Rohr not been fired.