Brian Idowu
Idowu with Nigeria at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name Brian Oladapo Idowu[1]
Date of birth (1992-05-18) 18 May 1992 (age 31)
Place of birth Saint Petersburg, Russia
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
1999– Smena-Zenit
0000–2010 Zenit St. Petersburg
2010–2015 Amkar Perm
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2018 Amkar Perm 87 (1)
2013–2014 → Dynamo St. Petersburg (loan) 25 (1)
2018–2021 Lokomotiv Moscow 25 (0)
2020–2021 → Khimki (loan) 28 (3)
2021–2023 Khimki 41 (0)
International career‡
2017–2018 Nigeria 10 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15 April 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 November 2018

Brian Oladapo Idowu (Russian: Брайан Оладапо Идову; born 18 May 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a left-back. Born in Russia, he plays for the Nigeria national team.

Club career

Born in Saint Petersburg to a Nigerian father and a Russian-Nigerian mother, Idowu moved to Owerri, Nigeria at early age, and later moved back to Russia.

He made his Russian Premier League debut for FC Amkar Perm on 6 May 2012 in a game against FC Terek Grozny.[2]

After a loan spell with Dynamo St Petersburg during the 2013–14 season, Idowu signed a new 3-year deal with Amkar on 30 June 2014,[3] extending his contract again in February 2017 until the summer of 2020.[4]

Lokomotiv Moscow

On 10 July 2018, he signed a 3-year contract with FC Lokomotiv Moscow.[5]

Khimki

On 7 August 2020, he joined Khimki on loan for the 2020–21 season.[6]

On 7 June 2021, he moved to Khimki on a permanent basis, signing a 2-year contract with an additional 1-year extension option.[7] He left Khimki in July 2023.[8]

International career

In November 2017, Idowu was called up to the Nigerian national team for their friendly against Argentina in Krasnodar on 14 November 2017.[9] Idowu made his debut against Argentina on 14 November, coming on as a half-time substitute for Ola Aina, and scoring Nigeria's third goal in a 4-2 win.[10]

In May 2018 he was named in Nigeria's preliminary 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[11]

Personal life

Idowu's father is Nigerian and his mother is half-Russian, half-Nigerian. He was born and raised in St. Petersburg, except for a period when he was aged 3 to 6 when he lived in Owerri, Nigeria.[12] Idowu speaks perfect Russian and acted as a makeshift translator of the Nigerian national team at news conference ahead of a fixture in Krasnodar in November 2017.[13]

Career statistics

Club

As of 28 May 2022[14]
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Amkar Perm 2011–12 RPL 1 0 0 0 – – 1 0
2012–13 0 0 1 0 – – 1 0
2013–14 0 0 – – – 0 0
2014–15 11 0 1 0 – – 12 0
2015–16 22 0 3 1 – – 25 1
2016–17 26 1 2 0 – – 28 1
2017–18 27 0 3 1 – 2[a] 0 32 1
Total 87 1 10 2 0 0 2 0 99 3
Dynamo St. Petersburg (loan) 2013–14 FNL 25 1 1 0 – – 26 1
Lokomotiv Moscow 2018–19 RPL 13 0 3 0 3[b] 0 1[c] 0 20 0
2019–20 12 0 1 0 4[b] 0 1[c] 0 18 0
Total 25 0 4 0 7 0 2 0 38 0
Khimki 2020–21 RPL 28 3 2 0 – – 30 3
2021–22 25 0 1 0 – 2[a] 0 28 0
2022–23 11 0 5 0 – – 16 0
Total 64 3 8 0 0 0 2 0 74 3
Career total 201 5 23 2 7 0 6 0 237 7
  1. ^ a b Appearances in the relegation play-offs
  2. ^ a b Appearances in the UEFA Champions League
  3. ^ a b Appearance in the Russian Super Cup

International

Idowu in a friendly match with Nigeria against Argentina, in 2017
As of 20 November 2019[15]
Nigeria
Year Apps Goals
2017 1 1
2018 9 0
Total 10 1

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref
1. 14 November 2017 Krasnodar Stadium, Krasnodar, Russia  Argentina
3–2
4–2
 Friendly [10]

Honours

Club

Lokomotiv Moscow

References

  1. ^ a b "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – List of Players" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 4 June 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  2. ^ "Terek v Amkar game report by RPL". Russian Premier League. 6 May 2012.
  3. ^ "БРАЙАН ИДОВУ: НОВЫЙ КОНТРАКТ С АМКАРОМ". fc-amkar.org (in Russian). FC Amkar Perm. 30 June 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  4. ^ "АМКАР ПРОДЛИЛ КОНТРАКТ С ИДОВУ ДО 2020 ГОДА". sport-express.ru (in Russian). Sport Express. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  5. ^ "Идову подписал контракт с "Локомотивом"" (in Russian). FC Lokomotiv Moscow. 10 July 2018.
  6. ^ "Брайан Идову перешел в "Химки"" (in Russian). FC Lokomotiv Moscow. 7 August 2020.
  7. ^ "БРАЙН ИДОВУ ПОДПИСАЛ КОНТРАКТ С "ХИМКАМИ"" (in Russian). FC Khimki. 7 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Спасибо" (in Russian). FC Khimki. 3 July 2023.
  9. ^ "World Cup Qualification: Brian Idowu Joins Team". thenationonlineng.net. The Nation. 12 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  10. ^ a b "Argentina 2-3 Nigeria". soccerway.com. Soccerway. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  11. ^ "Revealed: Every World Cup 2018 squad - Final 23-man lists | Goal.com".
  12. ^ "Разговор по пятницам". Выпуск №15 (in Russian). FC Amkar Perm.
  13. ^ Yokhin, Michael (16 November 2017). "Brian Idowu's journey from St Petersburg to Nigeria may end at World Cup". ESPN FC. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  14. ^ Brian Idowu at Soccerway
  15. ^ "Brian Idowu". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  16. ^ ""Локомотив" - обладатель Олимп-Кубка России по футболу" [Lokomotiv is the winner of the Olimp-Russian Cup] (in Russian). Russian Football Union. 22 May 2019.

External links

Nigeria squad – 2018 FIFA World Cup
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