1. Life
Nnamdi Oduamadi's early life was deeply rooted in his home country, where he began his footballing journey before moving to Italy to pursue professional development.
1.1. Early Life and Youth Career
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Oduamadi began playing football at the local Pepsi Football Academy at the age of seven. His talent led him to leave Nigeria in 2008 to join Milan, although his official signing with the club was delayed until January 2009 due to bureaucratic issues.
1.2. Early Professional Career
Oduamadi spent two seasons within AC Milan's youth system, where he was a key member of the under-20 side. This team achieved a notable victory in the Coppa Italia Primavera in 2010, marking the club's first success in that competition in 25 years.
At the start of the 2010-11 season, Milan announced that they had sold half of Oduamadi's rights to Genoa in a co-ownership deal valued at 3.50 M EUR. This transfer was part of a larger agreement that saw defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos move in the opposite direction. Despite the co-ownership arrangement, Oduamadi remained at Milan on loan and was included in the first-team squad. He made his official debut for the club in a league game against Catania on 18 September 2010, entering the match as a substitute in the final minutes. However, this remained his only senior appearance of the season. He continued to play for the under-20 team as an over-age player throughout the season and was also part of the squad for the annual Viareggio Cup.
2. Career and Achievements
Oduamadi's professional career has spanned multiple clubs across Italy, Turkey, and Finland, alongside his significant contributions to the Nigerian national team.
2.1. Professional Club Career
Oduamadi's career has been characterized by a series of loan spells from AC Milan to various clubs, allowing him to gain diverse playing experience across different leagues.
2.1.1. AC Milan
Following his initial youth and early professional years, Oduamadi remained under contract with AC Milan for an extended period, despite spending most of his time on loan. After his loan spell at Şanlıurfaspor, he returned to Milan in November 2015. In the 2017-18 season, he played for Milan's Primavera team as an over-age player and also received a call-up to the first team squad.
2.1.2. Torino FC
At the beginning of the 2011-12 season, the co-ownership agreement between Milan and Genoa for Oduamadi was resolved in favor of AC Milan. Subsequently, he was sent on loan to Serie B club Torino. During his time there, he made 11 appearances and scored three goals.
2.1.3. Varese Calcio
For the 2012-13 season, Oduamadi joined another Serie B side, Varese, on a loan deal. He made 16 appearances and scored two goals during this period. On 31 January 2014, Oduamadi rejoined Varese for his second loan spell with the club, where he contributed four goals in 12 appearances.
2.1.4. Brescia Calcio
At the start of the 2013-14 campaign, Oduamadi moved to Serie B club Brescia on a loan. He played in 14 league matches without scoring, but he did score one goal in two national cup appearances.
2.1.5. FC Crotone
On 8 August 2014, Oduamadi was signed by Serie B club Crotone on a loan. He made 12 appearances and scored one goal for the club.
2.1.6. US Latina Calcio
On 21 January 2015, Oduamadi was signed by U.S. Latina Calcio on a loan deal. He played in 16 matches and scored two goals during his tenure there.
2.1.7. Şanlıurfaspor
On 22 July 2015, Oduamadi moved on loan to TFF First League club Şanlıurfaspor for the season. However, this deal was cut short before the end of the summer transfer window, and he returned to Milan. He made a single appearance for the Turkish club.
2.1.8. HJK Helsinki
On 22 March 2016, Oduamadi moved to Finnish club HJK Helsinki on a loan deal set to expire on 31 December. On 26 May 2016, he scored the decisive goal in the Helsinki derby, securing a 2-1 victory for HJK over HIFK. During his time in Finland, he made 28 league appearances, scoring seven goals. He also played two national cup matches and four continental matches.
2.1.9. Later Club Career
Following his extensive loan spells, particularly after his time with HJK Helsinki, Oduamadi returned to AC Milan. He moved to KF Tirana in Albania in 2018. On 8 October 2021, Oduamadi signed for Serie D club Crema. He is currently under contract for Eccellenza club Colleferro.
2.2. International Career
Oduamadi has represented Nigeria at various levels, from youth teams to the senior national squad, contributing to significant international competitions.
2.2.1. Youth Teams
Oduamadi was first capped by the Nigeria U-17 squad during his time at the Pepsi Football Academy. He was subsequently called up by the Nigeria U-20 team to participate in the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup. However, he was ultimately withdrawn from the final squad due to a hamstring injury.
2.2.2. Senior National Team
Oduamadi made his full international debut for Nigeria against Kenya on 29 March 2011, coming on as a second-half substitute. Two years later, he made his second appearance against Kenya in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match, where he scored a crucial equalizing goal in the 94th minute, leveling the score at 1-1.
2.3. Honours
Oduamadi has achieved team success during his career, most notably with AC Milan.
AC Milan
- Serie A: 2010-11
3. Career Statistics
3.1. Club Statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| AC Milan | 2010-11 | Serie A | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2011-12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2012-13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2013-14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2014-15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 2015-16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 2016-17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 2017-18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Torino (loan) | 2011-12 | Serie B | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 11 | 3 | |||
| Varese (loan) | 2012-13 | Serie B | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 16 | 2 | |||
| Brescia (loan) | 2013-14 | Serie B | 14 | 0 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | 16 | 1 | |||
| Varese (loan) | 2013-14 | Serie B | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 12 | 4 | |||
| Crotone (loan) | 2014-15 | Serie B | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 13 | 1 | |||
| Latina (loan) | 2014-15 | Serie B | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 16 | 2 | |||
| Şanlıurfaspor (loan) | 2015-16 | TFF First League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | |||
| HJK (loan) | 2016 | Veikkausliiga | 28 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | 34 | 7 | |
| Career total | 111 | 19 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 119 | 20 | ||
3.2. National Team Statistics
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 2012 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013 | 11 | 4 | |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 13 | 4 | |
Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Oduamadi goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 March 2013 | U. J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar, Nigeria | Kenya | 1-1 | 1-1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 17 June 2013 | Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, Brazil | Tahiti | 2-0 | 6-1 | 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup |
| 3 | 3-0 | |||||
| 4 | 5-1 |