Kevin Amuneke

Kevin Onyekachi Amuneke (born 10 May 1986) is a Nigerian footballer who currently play as a forward.

Kevin Amuneke
Amuneke playing for Öster in 2012.
Personal information
Full name Kevin Onyekachi Amuneke
Date of birth (1986-05-10) 10 May 1986
Place of birth Eziobodo, Nigeria
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Soccer Warriors
1999–2002 Benfica
2002–2003 Porto
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003 Porto B 6 (0)
2004–2006 Landskrona BoIS 48 (16)
2006–2007 Vitória Setúbal 28 (4)
2007 CSKA Sofia 10 (2)
2008 Norrköping 27 (6)
2009 Politehnica Timişoara 2 (0)
2009–2011 Nacional 16 (2)
2011–2012 Öster 12 (2)
2013 Trelleborg 4 (0)
2013 Tondela 1 (0)
2014 Sloboda Užice 4 (0)
2015 Halmia 13 (4)
2016 Ballynure Old Boys 8 (12)
2017 Linfield 2 (0)
2017 Portadown 9 (5)
International career
2005 Nigeria 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 October 2017

He has previously spent most of his professional career in Europe, mainly in Portugal and Sweden.

Club career

Amuneke was born in Eziobodo. After starting out at S.L. Benfica and FC Porto, representing only the youth teams in the first case and the youths and the reserves in the second,[1][2] he began his professional career in Sweden with Landskrona BoIS (where he played alongside brother Kingsley) and, after two years, returned to Portugal, appearing for Vitória F.C. in the Primeira Liga.[3]

On 21 May 2007, after cancelling out his contract unilaterally, Amuneke agreed to join PFC CSKA Sofia in Bulgaria for about €400,000.[4] However, he returned to Sweden in December of the same year to play for IFK Norrköping in the top level – the transfer fee was this time reported as €300,000.

After a brief stint in Romania with FC Politehnica Timișoara, Amuneke moved back to Portugal, signing with Madeira's C.D. Nacional in early July 2009.[5] Not having been used at all during the first part of the 2010–11 season,[6] he was released by the club, resuming his career with Östers IF in the Superettan.

Amuneke rarely settled in the following years, representing in quick succession Trelleborgs FF (Sweden), C.D. Tondela (Portugal), FK Sloboda Užice (Serbia) and IS Halmia (Sweden). On 21 December 2016, after a stint at Ballynure Old Boys of the Ballymena & Provincial Football League, he moved to the NIFL Premiership having agreed to a short-term deal at Linfield.

International career

Amuneke won two caps for Nigeria, both during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, featuring against Rwanda and Angola in June 2005.[7]

Personal life

Amuneke's older brothers, Emmanuel and Kingsley, were also footballers.[8] The former, a winger, played amongst others for Sporting Clube de Portugal and FC Barcelona, and was also a Nigerian international.

Honours
CSKA Sofia
Linfield

References
  1. "Irmão de Amunike brilha nas camadas jovens do Benfica" [Amunike brother shines in Benfica's youth system]. Record. 18 February 2000. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  2. "Amuneke: "Tentarei chegar ao nível do meu irmão"" [Amuneke: "I will try to reach the level of my brother"]. Record. 22 September 2006. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  3. "Três ainda à espera de certificação" [Three still waiting for certificate]. Record. 25 August 2006. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  4. "Amuneke no CSKA de Sófia à revelia dos sadinos" [Amuneke in CSKA Sofia without the sadinos consent]. Record. 12 June 2007. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  5. "Amuneke vai ser reforço" [Amuneke will be an addition]. Record. 4 July 2009. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  6. "Amuneke está por colocar" [Amuneke awaits relocation]. Record. 5 July 2010. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  7. Kevin Amuneke at National-Football-Teams.com
  8. Scott, Carl-Gustaf (16 September 2015). African Footballers in Sweden: Race, Immigration, and Integration in the Age of Globalization. Springer. ISBN 978-1-1375-3509-2.
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