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Born Uchechukwu Alozie Okechukwu on September 27, 1967, in Lagos State, Nigeria, the former Super Eagles star who hails from Abia State, started his professional career at the domestic front with Flash Flamingoes and later Iwuanyanwu Nationale where he won the Nigeria Premier League in 1988 and 1989. His exploits in the Nigerian league will see him signed by Brondby IF of Denmark in 1990. Okechukwu won the Danish Championship with Brondby in 1990 and 1991 and was instrumental in the club’s semi-final finish in the UEFA Cup (1990/1991). The Nigerian caught the eye of Brondby fans as he was named the club’s Player of the Year in 1992. Okechukwu joined Turkish league giants, Fenerbahce SK in 1993, and was at the heart of their defence when they won their first Super Lig in seven years (1996).
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Aside from Fenerbahce, Okechukwu featured for Istanbulspor AS in Turkey, before returning home (Nigeria) to join Ocean Boys in 2007, and later Bayelsa United in 2008. Okechukwu holds dual citizenship (Nigeria and Turkey), he was honoured for being the foreign player that spent the highest number of years in Turkey during his career (13 years) and was made a citizen of the European country with the name Deniz Uygar. The Gentle Giant made his debut for the Super Eagles at the 1990 Africa Cup of Nations in Nigeria’s opening game against Algeria. Sadly, Nigeria lost the game 5-1, but Okechukwu was part of a solid defence that ensured Nigeria did not concede another goal until the final where they lost 1-0 to the same opponents. He featured 47 times for the national team and was very instrumental to Nigeria’s AFCON win in 1994 and second-round finish at the FIFA World Cup in 1994 and 1998. At the Atlanta 1996 Olympics, Okechukwu won Gold with the Dream Team, cementing Nigeria’s place in global football. Following Nigeria’s 4-1 loss to Denmark in the second round of the 1998 World Cup, Okechukwu called time on his international career. Sources: Wikipedia Busybuddies NG Featured Image Source: AOI Football
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