Biography of Ogenyi Onazi | Naijabiography
Ogenyi Eddy Onazi (born 25 December 1992) is an experienced Nigerian professional footballer, who plays as a central midfielder for Serie D team Casertana and also for the Nigerian national team, Super Eagles.
Ogenyi Onazi Biography
Ogenyi Eddy Onazi
December 25, 1992
Plateau State, Nigeria
Casertana, Super Eagles
Instagram: @onaziogenyi
Twitter: @OnaziOgenyi
Early life
Ogenyi Onazi was born on December 25, 1992 in Jos, a city in the middle belt region of Nigeria.
Career
Professional career
In 1998, Onazi started playing soccer on the streets of Jos. He received a lot of attention for his footballing prowess and ability which gave him the chance to play in some of the academies in the city. When he moved to the city of Lagos to play for My peoplehis footballing prowess first caught the eye.
In 2011, Onazi and his girlfriend Sani-Emmanuel both signed for Lazio. Following its participation in the 2009 edition FIFA U-17 World Cupin which Nigeria reached the final at home before losing to Switzerland, the two underwent trials in England, Greece and Italy.
After playing at youth level, Onazi was first brought up to Lazio’s first team in the 2011-12 campaign. In the 90th minute of the last game of the season, he replaced Senad Luli to make his Serie A debut.
Onazi got more playing time under the coach Vladimir Petkovic in the 2012-2013 season, playing as a defensive midfielder. He notably started in a UEFA Europa League meeting at White Hart Lane against Tottenham Hotspur which resulted in a scoreless tie. He scored his first goal for Lazio on March 7, 2013, against stuttgart in the Europa League round of 16. In a 3-1 win over InterMilan on May 8, 2013, he scored his first Serie A goal.
In a 4-2 loss to Napoli on 13 April 2014, he scored his second Serie A goal for Lazio. Onazi extended his contract with Lazio for a further two years, until 2018, on September 22, 2014. His 88th-minute goal in Lazio’s 3-2 win over Napoli on May 31, 2015 saw the team to win the last place in the Champions League. He was transferred to Trabzonspor for 3.5 million euros on August 2, 2016.
Onazi joined Denizlispor on a free transfer of Trabzonspor, another top football league team from Turkey, on January 15, 2020. According to reports, Onazi and Denizlispor have agreed on a six-month contract with a one-year extension option. The central midfielder’s deal with Trabzonspor lasted until May 2020 at the age of 27.
Onazi signed a contract with SonderjyskE of the Danish Superliga on October 4, 2020, for the 2020-21 season, with an option for two more years. Three months after his arrival, on January 5, 2021, the club released him.
Onazi joined champions side Zalgiris in Lithuania on 18 February 2021. He scored his first goal for the team on 13 July 2021 against Linfield in the Champions League qualifier. Onazi left FK Zalgiris on August 18, 2021. He appeared in 19 games for A Lyga in 2021 and scored twice.
Onazi signed up with Turkish team Denizlispor on August 20, 2021. He enlisted with Saudi team Al-Adalah on January 19, 2022. After six years, Onazi returned to Italy on August 29, 2022, when he signed with Serie D side Casertane.
International career
During FIFA U-17 and U-20 2009 world cups, Onazi represented Nigeria. On December 10, 2010, he scored his first goal in a 3–1 friendly win over Venezuela in Florida, USA.
For the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Onazi was selected for Nigeria’s 23-man squad. When they faced Burkina Faso in their opening match, he came on as a substitute. He fully participated in all of Nigeria’s knockout matches including the league match.
Onazi was included in the final 23-man squad for Nigeria’s World Cup squads in 2014 and 2018. He featured in each of his country’s four games at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Onazi was withdrawn from the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations because his Achilles injury didn’t fully heal.
Honors
Lazio
Trabzonspor
Net value
According to different online sources, Ogenyi Onazi has an estimated net worth of $1 million.
Social media handles
Ogenyi Onazi is very active on social media platforms. He has verified accounts on Instagram and Twitter, with over 224,000 and over 132,700 followers respectively. You can follow him through the social media handles below.
- Instagram: @onaziogenyi
- Twitter: @OnaziOgenyi
