Shola Ameobi

Foluwashola "Shola" Ameobi (born 12 October 1981) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a striker.

Ameobi signed a pre-contract with Newcastle on 1 July 1997.

He progressed through the youth setup, making his debut in the reserves in 1998 on 11 October against Sunderland.

He made his first team debut two years later, on 9 September 2000, in a home game against Chelsea.

He went on to make 22 appearances for Newcastle that season, in lieu of the injured Alan Shearer and Carl Cort.

The 2002–03 Champions League saw some of Ameobi's finest performances including an equalising goal against Barcelona in a 3–1 defeat at the Nou Camp as well as scoring two goals against Bayer Leverkusen in a 3–1 victory.

His erratic form has earned him some criticism in the past, and although never having been claimed as a prolific goalscorer, many of his games were as a substitute.

Due to injuries in the latter stages of the 2005–06 season, Ameobi gained a regular starting place, and scored six goals in Newcastle's last 12 Premier League games.

In the 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup, Ameobi scored twice in Newcastle's away tie at Lillestrøm SK (3–0), taking him to second place in the club's table of leading goalscorers in European competition with twelve goals, behind only Shearer.

During the 2006–07 season, Ameobi needed a hip operation, a problem which had been plaguing him for two seasons.

Newcastle's shortage of match-fit first team strikers during the previous season had forced him to postpone this surgery.

The problem eventually forced Glenn Roeder to send Ameobi for surgery two months before the transfer window, making the 0–0 draw away game to Manchester City his last game and ruling him out for the rest of the season.

He had made 13 appearances (three as a substitute) and scored five goals.

Ameobi and the Newcastle medical team reported his hip operation in the United States was a success and that the club doctors and medical staff would work on his rehabilitation.

It was originally thought that he would not be fit to play until the start of the 2007–08 season, but his rehabilitation progressed quickly and he returned with three games remaining in the season, clocking approximately 30 minutes of match action against Reading and making a further two appearances.

However, after failing to impress Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce, or Kevin Keegan on 27 March 2008, Ameobi agreed a loan deal with Stoke City until the end of the season, to help their promotion campaign.

It is understood that a loan fee of around £500K was agreed and that a possible permanent transfer was also discussed subject to Stoke winning promotion.

Ameobi made his debut for Stoke against Sheffield Wednesday on 29 March, the game ended 1–1.

After playing for six games and not managing to score despite Stoke's gaining of promotion, Ameobi returned to Newcastle, and Stoke decided not to sign him permanently.

On 14 August, Ipswich Town manager Jim Magilton confirmed that the club were in talks with Ameobi and that the club were keen to get the deal finalised as long as Ameobi was willing to play in the Championship.

However, on 17 August, Ameobi failed a medical, showing hamstring problems, and the deal collapsed.

Due to long-term injuries to Mark Viduka and Alan Smith, as well as shorter term injuries to Michael Owen and Obafemi Martins, Ameobi was able to start the 2008–09 season in the first team squad.

He managed to score his first goal in two years for Newcastle in a 2–2 home draw with Manchester City on 20 October.

After the match, interim manager Joe Kinnear praised Ameobi and backed him to kick-start his career.

He followed this up with a goal in his next game away to Sunderland in a 2–1 defeat on 25 October.

He signed a new deal with the club in January 2009 to keep him contracted until 2012.

He scored a penalty to mark his 50th goal for Newcastle on 1 February 2009 against local rivals Sunderland to make the final score 1–1.

He scored his first ever career hat-trick in Newcastle's first home match in the Championship against Reading on 15 August.

The first two goals were diving headers, and he completed his hat-trick with a penalty, which he placed in the bottom left corner, sending the keeper the wrong way.

He scored in the next game in a 1–0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday taking his tally to four goals in three games, equalling his total for the previous season.

Following these early season performances he was named the Championship player of the month for August.

He got injured in Newcastle's 4–3 win over Huddersfield Town in the League Cup.

The injury kept him out for three months but on his return he scored against Coventry with a left footed strike from the edge of the box.

He spent 14 years at Newcastle United, making 397 official appearances and scoring 79 goals, and received a winner's medal when they won the Championship in 2010.

He has the fifth most appearances as a substitute in the Premier League.

Born in Nigeria but raised in England, Ameobi was capped by the England under-21 team before making his Nigeria debut in 2012 and representing them at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Born in Zaria, Nigeria to a family from Ijumu Local Government Area in modern-day Kogi State.

Ameobi moved to Fenham, Newcastle upon Tyne, England when he was five.

His initial promise was spotted whilst attending the Walker Central Boys Club, before he was invited to attend Newcastle United's Academy.

On leaving Newcastle in 2014, he briefly represented Gaziantep BB in Turkey, before brief spells at Crystal Palace, Bolton Wanderers, Fleetwood Town, and Notts County.