David Odonkor
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| David Odonkor | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | David Odonkor | |
| Date of birth | February 21, 1984 (age 23) | |
| Place of birth | Bünde, Germany | |
| Height | 174 cm (5 ft 8½ in) | |
| Nickname | Speedy | |
| Playing position | Midfielder & Striker | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club |  Real Betis |
|
| Number | 23 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 1991-1995 1995-1998 1998-2001 |
 JSG Holsen-Ahle Bünder SV Borussia Dortmund |
|
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2001-2006 2006-Current |
Borussia Dortmund Real Betis |
75 (2) 6 (0) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2006- Current | Germany |
10 (0) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
David Odonkor (born February 21, 1984 in Bünde, Germany), born to a German mother and Ghanaian father, is a young German international footballer currently playing for La Liga side Real Betis. Known for his great pace, he most often plays as a side midfielder or winger, usualy on the right side of the pitch. He is also capable of playing as a striker. He is seen as one of the most promising German youths today.
Contents |
[edit] Borussia Dortmund
He had become a regular in the Borussia Dortmund line up, wearing the shirt number 11, before being diagnosed with a cartilage injury in his knee. After his rehabilitation, he additionally had to undergo inner meniscus surgery which forced him to play only one match during the whole rest of the season.
[edit] International success
[edit] European U-16 Championship
He was involved in both the 2000 and 2001 European U-16 Championships. However he did not score in 2000 but managed one goal in an 8-2 victory over Romania in 2001. Germany made the quarter-finals only to lose on penalties on both occasions, losing to Portugal in 2000 and England in 2001.
[edit] World Cup 2006
In 2006 he became a surprise member of the Germany national football team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany despite never having been capped previously. He had however made a number of promising appearances in various German youth sides. On May 30, 2006, Odonkor made his debut for the Germany in a friendly match against Japan. He appeared as a substitute in the first two group games of the World Cup. Against Poland, Odonkor displayed an excellent performance and assisted Oliver Neuville's deciding goal in stoppage time of the second half. He also came close to scoring himself, but the assistant, Michael Ballack, was offside when he played the ball to Odonkor. He made two additional appearances as a substitute, in the quarter-final match against Argentina and in the semi-final match against Italy.
[edit] Real Betis
Odonkor moved to Real Betis in late August, 2006. He was purchased for € 6.5 million, signing a 5 year contract. He was officially unveiled to the press on 8th September.
[edit] Trivia
- His Bundesliga debut took place in early 2002 against FC St. Pauli.
- He resembles French NBA superstar Tony Parker who plays as a point guard for the San Antonio Spurs.
- It is believed that Odonkor, noted for his acceleration, can cover 100 metres in a mere 10.9 seconds.
- He married Suzan Barka on December 29, 2006 in Steinhagen, Germany.[1]
[edit] External links
- (Spanish) Official Website Of Real Betis Balompié S.A.D.
- (German) Official Website Of David Odonkor
|
Germany squad - 2006 FIFA World Cup Third Place | |
|---|---|---|
|
1 Lehmann | 2 Jansen | 3 Friedrich | 4 Huth | 5 Kehl | 6 Nowotny | 7 Schweinsteiger | 8 Frings | 9 Hanke | 10 Neuville | 11 Klose | 12 Kahn | 13 Ballack | 14 Asamoah | 15 Hitzlsperger | 16 Lahm | 17 Mertesacker | 18 Borowski | 19 Schneider | 20 Podolski | 21 Metzelder | 22 Odonkor | 23 Hildebrand | Coach: Klinsmann |
||
| Real Betis - Current Squad |
|---|
|
1 Contreras | 2 Melli | 3 Romero | 4 Juanito | 5 Rivas | 6 Ilič | 7 Caffa | 8 Arzu | 9 Fernando | 10 Edú | 11 Dani | 12 Robert | 13 Toni D | 14 Capi | 15 Nano | 16 Vogel | 17 Pancrate | 18 Rivera | 19 Xisco | 20 Assunção | 21 Miguel Angel | 22 Vega | 23 Odonkor | 24 Maldonado | 25 Sóbis | 27 Juande | 28 Isidoro | — Damià | — Lembo | Coach Fernández |
