Former "Spartacus" Emenike Emmanuel: where is he now?

Footballer, which will be discussed in this article, played in Russia only two years, but remembered as one of the best forwards in the history of our championship. Emenike Emmanuel scored 21 goals in 42 games for Moscow's Spartak, which is quite good by the standards of the Russian Premier League.

Powerful, pushy striker from Nigeria fell in love with fans of red and white at least for his first goal for "Spartacus" in the Moscow derby against "CSKA", when Emenike scored five minutes after the substitution. How this football player was in Russia and where is he now?

First steps in football

Emanuel Chinenie Emenike was born on May 10, 1987 in the Nigerian city of Otuocha. In his first club, "Delta Force", the player was not paid a salary, and for training he walked - an hour and a half of the way there and back.

His first money Emenike began to receive in South Africa in the team "Black Aces", which was at that time in the second most powerful division of South Africa. Emenike signed a contract with the new club in January 2008, and scored the first goal in the debut match against Dynamo in February. Salary Emenike in the "Black Ace" was 350 euros.

In May of the same year, the Nigerian football player moved to Cape Town, where he beat 14 goals for the next season and got an opportunity to show himself in Europe.

Moving to Turkey

The way Emenike in Europe began with the First League of Turkey (the second most powerful division). In 2009, the player leases "Karabukspor". Rent is very successful for the Turkish club: Emenike for the season scored 16 goals in 28 meetings, which helped "Karabutsypor" to get into the Super League. The Turkish club has signed the best striker of the league on a permanent basis.

Season 2010/11 has developed for Emenike even more successfully, because now Emmanuel scored goals in the strongest division of Turkey. Last year's bar in 16 goals, he did not beat, scoring 14, but this time he took part in fewer matches - in twenty-three.

In May 2011, the Nigerian striker won a lawsuit against the local newspaper. The Haber Turk newspaper published a material saying that the Nigerian striker was hiding his age, and in fact he is seven years older. In the same year, the striker received his first challenge in the first team of Nigeria. At the moment on the account of the player 37 matches and 9 goals for the national team.

At the end of the 2010/11 season, Emmanuel moved to Fenerbahçe, one of the leading clubs in Turkey, that year became champion.

Scandal in the Turkish Super League and the arrest of Emenike

Debut Emenike for "Fenerbahce" took place only two years later. The fact is that soon after the Nigerian signed a contract with the new club, information appeared, according to which the "yellow canaries" can deprive the championship and send to the First League for participation in contractual matches. Emenuel Emmanuel decided not to wait for the outcome of the proceedings and hurried to declare his intention to leave the club. He wanted to leave, however, not so much the club as the country, because in Turkey he was threatened with prison term. The Nigerian came under suspicion, because in the championship match between his former club and the "Fenerbahce" Emenike, being perfectly healthy, did not go on the field, although he was at the same time the best scorer of his team. Football player even spent four days in jail. Following the investigation, the Nigerian attacker was formally charged, but Emenike had already moved to Moscow to Moscow's Spartak.

"Spartak Moscow)

In "Spartacus" for a long time watched Emmanuel, and the club's leadership worked quickly, ahead of the fight for the player Kazan "Rubin" and Madrid "Atletico". In August 2011, three months after the transfer to Fenerbahce, the Nigerian striker signed a contract with Spartak. The deal amounted to about nine million euros.

His first goal for red-white Emenike scored in the Moscow derby against CSKA. At 70 minutes after five minutes after the substitution of the match in the match equalized Emenike Emmanuel. "Spartacus" played in that meeting played a draw - 2: 2. 2011 Emenike spent at a high level, scoring 8 goals in 11 meetings.

Team achievements Emenike in "Spartacus" did not achieve, but repeated the Nikita Simonyan's record: the Nigerian striker managed to score five goals to "Lokomotiv" in two matches of the same season. And in the first round of the season 2012/13 Emenike scored one of the fastest goals in the history of the Russian championship, striking the gate of "Alania" already at the tenth second.

There were also scandals connected with Emenike. On May 6, 2012, the Nigerian striker scored the ball to Zenit and celebrated a goal, striking with his left hand on the right forearm, for which unexpectedly shlopotat red card. "I just wanted to copy the gesture of Samuel Eto'o, expressing gratitude to his ancestors," Emanuel explained his celebration of the hammered ball to Emenike. Footballer eventually missed the next match, although the Ethics Committee did not find anything insulting in the actions of the Nigerian.

Career after "Spartacus"

In August 2013, Emenike was again in the "Fenerbahce". According to the football player, he always dreamed of playing for "Fenerbahce" and was very excited about the transition. This time there were no excesses, and the striker finally made his debut for the Istanbulites.

After the return, Emmanuel stayed in Fenerbahce for two years, during which he managed to play 55 matches and score 16 goals. Then in the summer of 2015 he was leased to a club from the UAE Al-Ain.

For a year and a half in the Emirates, the attacker hit 7 goals in 11 meetings, followed by a new lease. Footballer went back to Europe. Now Emenike is playing on loan in English West Ham. As of March 2016, the "hammers" are fighting for a place in the four, giving the right to hit the Champions League, and the Nigerian striker is gradually getting used to a new championship for himself.