Jonathan Akpoborie

Jonathan Akpoborie

Akpoborie during his time atStuttgarter Kickers
Personal information
Date of birth	(1968-10-20)20 October 1968
Place of birth	Lagos,Nigeria
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
1987	Julius Berger F.C.
1987–1990	Brooklyn College
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1990–1992	1. FC Saarbrücken	53	(9)
1992–1994	Carl Zeiss Jena	74	(26)
1994–1995	Stuttgarter Kickers	32	(37)
1995	Waldhof Mannheim	18	(9)
1996–1997	Hansa Rostock	47	(20)
1997–1999	VfB Stuttgart	58	(22)
1999–2001	VfL Wolfsburg	39	(20)
2001–2002	1. FC Saarbrücken	4	(0)
Total		325	(143)
International career
1992–2001	Nigeria	13	(4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jonathan Akpoborie(born 20 October 1968) is a Nigerian former professionalfootballerwho played as aforwardand spent the majority of his playing career in Germany.

Club career

Akpoborie started his professional career atJulius Berger,before moving to USA. In 1990, he joined1. FC Saarbrückenof German2. Bundesliga.Akpoborie also had spells withFC Carl Zeiss Jena,Stuttgart Kickers,for whom he scored 37 goals in one season, andWaldhof Mannheim,before finally joining top-flightFC Hansa Rostockin 1995. After spending two years at Hansa, the player moved to theirBundesligarivalsVfB Stuttgartand thenVfL Wolfsburgin 1999.

Akpoborie finished his playing career atSaarbrückenin 2002.

International career

Akpoborie was part of the Nigeria team that won the first edition of the FIFA U-16 Championship in1985,scoring in the final against the then West Germany. Two years later, he featured for theFlying Eaglesat the1987 FIFA World Youth Championshipin Chile.

He attended and played forBrooklyn College.

At the senior level, he was selected for the1992and2000 Africa Cup of Nationswhere he won bronze and silver respectively. His first senior cap was in a 1992 Africa Cup of Nations Third-place match against Cameroon, which the Super Eagles won. He scored his first goal for the Super Eagles againstMexicoat the1995 U.S. Cupon 24 June 1995. He got his second goal – a 48th-minute equalizer – in a 1–1 draw withKenyain a1998 FIFA World Cup qualificationmatch on 12 January 1997.

Akpoborie was surprisingly dropped fromNigeria'ssquad for1998 FIFA World CupbyBora Milutinović,in spite of the fact that he played in five of the six1998 FIFA World Cup qualificationmatches and was the joint second top scorer in the1997-98 UEFA Cup Winners' Cuptournament. He was also one of the two Nigerian footballers to play in a European Cup final that year, the other beingInter MilandefenderTaribo West,who was red-carded in the1998 UEFA Cup Final,less than a month to the World Cup in France.

In 1999, Dutch managerThijs Libregtsrecalled him to the national side in a2000 Africa Cup of Nations(AFCON) qualifier againstSenegal.The game ended in a 1–1 draw, with Akpoborie scoring his third international goal. Nigeria did not play any qualifier after the game as they qualified as hosts of the 2000 AFCON after Zimbabwe – the originally designated host – failed to get a guarantee from the government.

Akpoborie featured in a number of games ahead of the2002 FIFA World Cup.In the2002 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF first round,he scored his fourth goal in Nigeria's 4–0 win overEritreain Lagos.

Slave ship allegations

In 2001, Akpoborie made the headlines when a boat, managed by his family, was stopped inBeninafter allegations that it was carrying children into slavery inGabon.The incident led to Akpoborie's suspension from the Wolfsburg team and eventually, after a brief sojourn at Saarbrücken, to his retirement. The story of the ship, her passengers and her owner has been covered by the documentaryDas Schiff des Torjägers(The Goalgetter's Ship) by Swiss directorHeidi Specogna.

Personal life

Akpoborie now resides inLagos.He works as a player agent for Rogon Sports Management.

External links

• BiographyArchived29 June 2011 at theWayback Machineat Worldsoccer.com
• Jonathan Akpoborieatfussballdaten.de(in German)