Ikechukwu Uche (born
5 January 1984) is a Nigerian footballer who plays for Spanish
club Gimnàstic de Tarragona as a striker.
Known for his acrobatic goal celebrations, he spent most of
his professional career in Spain, having arrived in the country before the age
of 20. He amassed La Liga totals of 194 games and 42 goals over the course
of nine seasons, representing in the competition Recreativo, Getafe, Zaragoza, Villarreal, Granada and Málaga.
Uche appeared for Nigeria in two Africa Cup of Nations.
Early years
Born in Aba, Abia,
Uche's career began in his country with Amanze United and Iwuanyanwu
Nationale. Aged just 18, he moved to Racing de Ferrol in
the Spanish second division, appearing in 24 games in his second season, which ended in
relegation for the Galician team.
Uche then joined another club in the country's
second level, Recreativo de Huelva, for a fee of US$300,000, and scored 12 goals in his first year, becoming the league's top
scorer in the 2005–06 campaign at 20 in just 28
appearances (with five braces), as the Andalusians returned
– as champions – to La Liga after a three-year absence.
In his first top flight season, Uche scored on
eight occasions. Notably, he netted in three consecutive matches in November
2006 (with wins at Celta de Vigo and against CA Osasuna),
helping Recre finish
eight.
Uche joined Madrid's Getafe CF for 2007–08, mainly being used as a substitute. On 29 November
2008, also from the bench, he scored in a 3–1 home win over Real Madrid.
Zaragoza Real Zaragoza, recently returned to the top flight,
agreed terms to sign Uche in July 2009, subject to medical. He was
presented officially on the 22nd, and signed a four-year contract; in only
his second match, a 1–4 loss at Sevilla FC,
he suffered a severe knee injury, going on to miss seven months.
Uche recovered fully for Zaragoza's 2010–11 pre-season. However, he soon
suffered another knee injury, being ruled out for another six months; his
return to action took place on 19 February 2011 as he played 20 minutes in a
0–1 home loss against Atlético Madrid, hitting David de Gea's
bar in the dying minutes of the game after an individual effort.
On 2 March 2011, Uche made his first start of
the season, at home against Athletic Bilbao.
On the 55th minute, he scored the final 2–1 for the Aragonese –
his first goal since May 2009 – and cried profusely as he celebrated.
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