BBC Sport world-cup-2010
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IN ASSOCIATION WITH
John Utaka
- Position: Striker
- Squad number: 7
- Date of birth: 8 January, 1982 (28 years old)
- Height: 5'9" (176cm)
Tournament totals
| Games played | Shots on target | off target |
|---|---|
| 0 John Utaka | 0|0 John Utaka |
| 0 As substitute | 8|22 Total Nigeria |
| 20 Most shots on target Diego Forlan | |
| 3 Total Nigeria | 12 Most shots off target Asamoah Gyan, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wesley Sneijder |
| Goals | Assists |
|---|---|
| 0 John Utaka | 0 John Utaka |
| 3 Total Nigeria | 2 Total Nigeria |
| 6 Best Diego Forlan | 4 Best Leo Messi, Bastian Schweinsteiger |
| Fouls by | on | Cards yellow | red |
|---|---|
| 0|0 John Utaka | 0|0 John Utaka |
| 36|28 Total Nigeria | 5|1 Total Nigeria |
| 20 Most fouls by Mark Van Bommel | 3 Most yellow Victor Caceres, Nigel De Jong, Gregory Van Der Wiel |
| 25 Most fouls on Andres Iniesta |
Nigeria games played
- Argentina 1-0 Nigeria
Saturday, 12 June Match report - Greece 2-1 Nigeria
Thursday, 17 June Match report - Nigeria 2-2 South Korea
Tuesday, 22 June Match report
Latest stories
Player profile
Utaka was selected despite fairly indifferent form for Portsmouth, who he joined from Rennes for a reported £7m fee in 2007. He netted just one Premier League goal as Pompey were relegated from the top flight in 2009/10. Utaka has often been deployed on the right wing, but can also play up front.
Born in a coal mining community in southern Nigeria, he started playing football bare-footed on the town’s main road using two stones for goalposts. He was called up for the 2002 World Cup as a 20-year-old, having impressed for Qatari side Al-Sadd.
He moved to Lens after the tournament, later switching to Rennes. Utaka is apparently a huge fan of Portsmouth-born author Charles Dickens. He says Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are his favourite novels.
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