| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christantus Ugonna Uche [1] | ||
| Date of birth | 19 May 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Owerri, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder, forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Crystal Palace (on loan from Getafe) | ||
| Number | 12 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2023 | Moralo B | 6 | (1) |
| 2023 | Moralo | 11 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Ceuta | 34 | (0) |
| 2024– | Getafe | 33 | (4) |
| International career | |||
| 2025– | Nigeria | 2 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 31 May 2025 | |||
Christantus Ugonna Uche (born 19 May 2003) is a Nigerian footballer, who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for Premier League club Crystal Palace, on loan from Getafe. He also plays internationally for the Nigerian national team.
Born in Owerri, Uche played amateur football with his friends in his hometown [2] before receiving an offer from Spanish club Moralo CP in July 2022; he was officially announced by the club in November, and was initially assigned to the reserves in Primera División Extremeña. [3] He made his senior debut with the B's on 20 November, starting in a 2–1 away loss to CP Moraleja, and scored his first goal seven days later in a 4–0 home routing of CF Jaraíz. [4]
Uche made his first team debut for Moralo on 8 January 2023, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 4–1 Tercera Federación home success over SP Villafranca. [5] He subsequently established himself as a regular starter, as his side missed out promotion in the play-offs.
On 15 July 2023, Uche signed for Primera Federación side AD Ceuta FC, being initially assigned to the B-team but making the pre-season with the main squad. [6] However, he did not feature for the B's, and established himself as a key unit in the Caballas; in January 2024, Spanish media outlet Mundo Deportivo reported that he was a target of Real Betis. [7]
On 21 February 2024, it was reported that Uche had agreed to a deal with La Liga side Getafe CF, [8] with Ceuta manager José Juan Romero confirming the transfer two days later. [9] Both clubs officially announced the transfer on 13 June, with the player signing a four-year contract with the Madrid outskirts side. [10] [11]
Uche made his professional – and top tier – debut on 15 August 2024, starting as a forward and scoring the equalizer in a 1–1 away draw against Athletic Bilbao. [12] [13]
On 1 September 2025, Uche signed for Crystal Palace on loan from Spanish club Getafe until June 2026, with an obligation to buy of around £17.3m. [14]
Uche was called up to the senior Nigeria national team for the friendly 2025 Unity Cup tournament in May 2025. [15] He scored the winning penalty against Jamaica to win the tournament for Nigeria. [16]