Ibezito Ogbonna
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ibe Zito Ogbonna | ||
| Date of birth | 27 March 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Sokoto, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2000 | Enugu Rangers | ||
| 2000–2002 | Nigerdock | ||
| 2002–2003 | Sharks | ||
| 2003–2007 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 117 | (37) |
| 2007–2008 | CFR Cluj | 2 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Kaizer Chiefs | 11 | (4) |
| 2009–2010 | Apolonia Fier | 6 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | EGS Gafsa | 10 | (2) |
| 2011 | Atyrau | 11 | (2) |
| 2012 | Vardar Skopje | 12 | (2) |
| 2013–2014 | Enyimba | ||
| 2017–2018 | Agudat Sport Ashdod | ||
| Total | 169 | (47) | |
| International career | |||
| 2006–2007 | Nigeria U23 | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 1 June 2018 | |||
Ibe Zito Ogbonna // ⓘ (born on 27 March 1983, in Sokoto, Nigeria) is a former Nigerian football player who lives in Ashdod, Israel.
Ogbonna was born on 27 March 1983, in Sokoto, Nigeria and began playing football in 1998 at Enugu Rangers.[1][2][3][4][5] Subsequently, he moved for two years to Nigerdock and then played one year for Sharks.[1][3][4][5]
In 2003, Ogbonna joined Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Israeli Premier League, scoring 11 league goals in his first season.[1][2][3][4][5] He also made his debut in European competitions by playing in both legs of the 1–0 aggregate loss to Gaziantepspor in the first round of the 2003–04 UEFA Cup.[1][6] In the 2005–06 season, Ogbonna scored nine goals which helped Hapoel finish runner-up in the league and won the Israel State Cup.[1][7][8][9] In the following season he won another State Cup with the club.[1][7][8][9] Ogbonna also made eight appearances in the 2006–07 UEFA Cup campaign, as Hapoel got past Domžale and Glasgow Rangers, with him netting a goal against the first, reaching the group stage where he scored once in a 2–2 draw against Rapid București.[1][3][7][9][10]
In June 2007, Ogbonna was transferred to CFR Cluj in Romania, with coach Ioan Andone describing him:"Special force. He has to work on his physical training. He hits equally well with the left and the right".[2][11] Because of his physique he was compared to the boxer Mike Tyson.[2][12] He made his Liga I debut on 1 August when coach Andone sent him in the 86th minute to replace Eugen Trică in a 1–0 away win over Oțelul Galați.[1][13] His following appearance was when he replaced Emmanuel Culio in the 84th minute of a 2–2 draw against Politehnica Timișoara.[1][14] Afterwards he got injured and did not make any further appearances until the end of the season as CFR won The Double, marking the first trophies in the club's history..[1][15][16]
In the following years, Ogbonna played for clubs from various countries, first at South African Premiership side Kaizer Chiefs.[1][3][9][12][17] Subsequently, he went to Albanian club, Apolonia Fier and then signed for Tunisia's EGS Gafsa.[1][3][9] His next spell was at Atyrau in the Kazakhstan Premier League.[1][3][9] In the 2011–12 Macedonian First Football League season, he won the title with Vardar Skopje, contributing with two goals scored in 12 matches.[1][3][9]
Ogbonna relocated to Israel in 2017, ending his career at Agudat Sport Ashdod in the fourth league.[15]
International career
Ogbonna played for Nigeria under-23 during the 2008 Summer Olympics qualifiers, but was not part of the squad that went to the final tournament.[3][9]
Personal life
Ogbonna was a fan of hip-hop music, appreciating artists such as 50 Cent, Tupac Shakur and Jay-Z.[2] One of his brothers was a footballer in Nigeria.[2] His favorite footballer was Zinedine Zidane, and he was a fan of AC Milan and Real Madrid.[2][4][5]
In May 2021, Ogbonna's apartment from Ashdod, where he was living with his wife and two daughters, was hit by a missile fired from Gaza.[3][7][8][9][18] He was hospitalized following minor injuries, saying:"I am extremely lucky to be alive after this rocket was fired and it's third time lucky for me after being involved in a car crash and a horrible robbery incident in Nigeria".[3][7][9][18]