Shola Ameobi

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Personal information
Shola Ameobi
Full name	Foluwashola Ameobi
Date of birth	October 12, 1981 (age 25)
Place of birth	Lagos, Nigeria
Height	6'2" (188 cm)
Nickname	Shola, Strolla, The Fenham Eusebio
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Newcastle United
Number	23
Youth clubs
1995–98	Newcastle United
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1998–present	Newcastle United	159 (28)
National team²
2000–03	England U21	020 0(7)
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12:00, 09 December 2006. ² National team caps and goals correct as of 12:00, 16 October 2006. * Appearances (Goals)

Foluwashola "Shola" Ameobi (born October 12, 1981 in Zaria) is an Anglo-Nigerian football player. He currently plays for Newcastle United in the English Premiership as a centre forward. He has spent his entire career at the club.

[edit] Career

Ameobi started out with the Walker Central Youth Team in Newcastle, for whom he was spotted playing by a Newcastle United scout at the age of thirteen. After initially struggling to come to terms with the standard, Ameobi started to excel and made rapid strides towards the first team. He is currently number 23 at Newcastle and a regular face on the starting lineup.

The target man signed for the Newcastle United Academy on July 1, 1995, but did not make his debut for the senior team until five years later, September 9, 2000, in a home game against Chelsea. He made 22 appearances for Newcastle that season, aided by injuries to then first choice strike partnership Alan Shearer and Carl Cort.

His temperamental form has earned him some criticism in the last, and although never having been claimed as a prolific goalscorer, his goals to games ratio up to Christmas 2005 was just 34 goals from 186 Newcastle United appearances, though many of these appearances have been from the substitutes bench. However, in the latter stages of the 2005-06 campaign the absence of the injured Michael Owen granted Ameobi a regular place in the starting lineup, and the player returned the favour with six goals in Newcastle's last twelve premiership games.

In the 2006 Intertoto Cup, Ameobi scored twice in Newcastle's away tie at Lillestrøm, taking him to second place in the club's table of leading goalscorers in European competition with twelve goals, behind only Alan Shearer.

Ameobi is currently in the process of having a hip operation, having had persistent problems with it for the last two years. Newcastle's shortage of first team strikers had forced this to be postponed, with the team reportedly trying to nurse him through to the January transfer window when they could add to their striking options, though the problem eventually forced Glenn Roeder to send Ameobi away for surgery, making him unavailable for the rest of the 2006-07 season. During the 2006-07 season Ameobi made 13 appearances (3 as a substitute) and scored 5 goals. Such an impressive strike rate has subsequently left fans very disappointed having heard he will be out for the whole 2006-07 season.

Ameobi and the Newcastle medical team reported his hip operation in the U.S was a success and that the club doctors and medical staff would have his rehabilitation upon his return. Both Shola Ameobi and fellow England striker Michael Owen will be fit for the 2007/2008 season, when the duo will have both completed rehabilitation.

[edit] Trivia

He has his own chant dedicated to him by the 'Toon Army', which is often sung when Newcastle play at various grounds around Europe, to the tune of 'the hokey cokey', which starts 'Oh Shola Ameobi'.
Shola's youngest brother, Sami, is currently playing in Newcastle's under 16 side, his other younger brother, Tomi, is currently playing for Leeds, and his sister, Titi, a sprinter, is aiming for the London olympics.
Shola has become an uncle for the first time. His nephew is called Oluwatobiloba or Tobi for short. His brother in law, Tom, is a very talented drummer and a teacher at a local primary school but he prefers rugby league rather than football
He drives a Mercedes CLS 55 AMG car.