Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 20 September 1972 | ||
Place of birth | Obaku, Imo, Nigeria | ||
Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
Position(s) | Defender | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1989 | Obanta United | ||
1989–1991 | K. Beerschot V.A.C. | 21 | (0) |
1991–1996 | Eendracht Aalst | 88 | (5) |
1996–1999 | Strasbourg | 96 | (6) |
1999–2001 | Paris Saint-Germain | 19 | (0) |
2001–2004 | Standard Liège | 67 | (1) |
International career | |||
2000 | Nigeria Olympic (O.P.) | 4 | (0) |
1991–2001 | Nigeria | 18 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Godwin Okpara was born on 20 September 1972 in Obaku, Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State. He is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a defender. He was part of the Nigeria national team squads that participated in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, 2000 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Okpara was outstanding [1] at the 1989 U-17 World Championship,in Scotland. His impressive skills caught the attention of Pelé, who hailed him as a future world-class player, praising his football skill. The Imo State-born defender, after playing for AGIP FC of Lagos and Obanta United began his foreign professional stint in Belgium in 1989 with Beerschot. [2] After some years of relative success playing for Eendracht Aalst, including winning the Belgian Ebony Shoe, he moved to play in France for RC Strasbourg and Paris Saint-Germain. While at Strasbourg he won the Coupe de la Ligue in 1997, playing in the final. [3] His second season with PSG was miserable, [4] making him return to Belgium and Standard Liège. Okpara retired after the 2003–04 season.
In August 2005, Okpara was arrested by French police on charges of raping his 13-year-old adopted daughter, Awawu Tina. [5] He was found guilty and imprisoned in June 2007 for thirteen years, but his sentence was reduced to seven years due a successful appeal. His wife, Linda Okpara, was sentenced to 15 years in jail for torture of the same girl. [6] [7] In November 2017, he was arraigned in an Ikeja Magistrate Court for allegedly battering his wife of 25 years. [2]
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