Manuel Onwu Explained

Manuel Onwu
Fullname:Manuel Onwu Villafranca
Birth Date:11 January 1988
Birth Place:Tudela, Spain
Height:1.850NaN0
Position:Forward
Youthclubs1:Valtierrano
Youthyears2:2002–2006
Youthclubs2:Tudelano
Years1:2006–2007
Years2:2007–2012
Caps2:106
Goals2:23
Years3:2007–2008
Clubs3:Iruña (loan)
Caps3:36
Goals3:19
Years4:2008
Clubs4:Alzira (loan)
Caps4:4
Goals4:1
Years5:2012–2015
Caps5:31
Goals5:2
Years6:2015
Caps6:10
Goals6:3
Years7:2015–2016
Caps7:24
Goals7:10
Years8:2016–2018
Caps8:41
Goals8:9
Years9:2018–2019
Caps9:45
Goals9:12
Years10:2019–2020
Caps10:6
Goals10:0
Years11:2020
Clubs11:Odisha (loan)
Caps11:4
Goals11:7
Years12:2020–2021
Caps12:18
Goals12:0
Years13:2021–2022
Caps13:13
Goals13:1
Club-Update:12:00, 12 April 2022 (UTC)

Manuel Onwu Villafranca (born 11 January 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays forward.

Club career

Born in Tudela, Navarre to a Nigerian father and a Spanish mother, and raised in neighbouring Valtierra,[1] Onwu started playing with Club Atlético Valtierrano then moved to local CD Tudelano, making his senior debut with the latter in 2006, in Tercera División. The following year he signed with neighbouring CA Osasuna, being assigned to its B team and going on to serve two loans in the lower leagues subsequently.[2]

Onwu scored 11 goals in 30 matches with the reserves in the Segunda División B in the 2011–12 season. On 11 March 2012 he made his first-team – and La Liga – debut, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–1 home win against Athletic Bilbao.[3] He made his first start two rounds later, in a 2–0 away victory over Levante UD (71 minutes played).[4]

In the summer of 2015, after a fleeting spell in the Georgian Erovnuli Liga with FC Dinamo Tbilisi, Onwu returned to his country and its third tier, going on to represent Lleida Esportiu, Lorca FC and UCAM Murcia CF.[5] He achieved promotion with the second club at the end of the 2016–17 campaign by netting eight times, but also dealt with injury and bureaucratic problems.[6]

On 17 July 2019, free agent Onwu signed with Indian Super League defending champions Bengaluru FC.[7] The following 28 January, he was loaned to Odisha FC in the same competition.[8] [9] [10] He scored his first hat-trick as a professional on 23 February, in the 4–4 home draw against Kerala Blasters FC.[11]

Onwu joined Odisha on a permanent one-year contract in September 2020.[12]

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.noticiasdenavarra.com/2012/03/14/osasuna/onwu-promesa-de-futuro-para-el-presente Onwu, una promesa de futuro para el presente (Onwu, future promise for today)
  2. News: Manu Onwu, de Valtierra a Bangalore. Manu Onwu, from Valtierra to Bangalore. Diario de Navarra. María. Vallejo. Spanish. 7 November 2019. 8 January 2020.
  3. https://archive.today/20130102210435/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=323787&cc=3888 Bilbao brought back to earth
  4. https://archive.today/20130102202713/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=323763&cc=3888 Euro dream alive for Osasuna
  5. News: Manu Onwu completa la delantera universitaria. Manu Onwu completes the collegiate attack. La Verdad. Spanish. 30 January 2018. 16 February 2018.
  6. Web site: Anuario VAVEL Lorca FC 2017: la delantera sin gol. Lorca FC 2017 VAVEL yearbook: the goalless forward line. Vavel. José. Martínez Sánchez. Spanish. 26 December 2017. 20 September 2018.
  7. News: Bengaluru FC signs Spanish forward Manuel Onwu. The Hindu. 17 July 2019. 23 July 2019.
  8. News: ISL: Odisha dealt Santana injury blow, loans Onwu as replacement. The Hindu. 28 January 2020. 12 September 2020.
  9. Web site: Odisha FC's Josep Gombau – Manuel Onwu showing that he is a very good player. Goal. Soham. Mukherjee. 8 February 2020. 12 September 2020.
  10. Web site: Manuel Onwu finds redemption after poor start to ISL career. Yahoo! Finance. 15 February 2020. 12 September 2020.
  11. Web site: A point each for Odisha FC and Kerala Blasters FC in eight-goal thriller. Goal. Sooraj. Kamath. 23 February 2020. 12 September 2020.
  12. Web site: ISL – Odisha FC retains Manuel Onwu after his heroics last season. Indian Football Team for World Cup. Shreyash. Ingale. 12 September 2020. 12 September 2020.