Chidi Odiah

Chidi Odiah
Odiah with CSKA Moscow in 2009
Personal information
Full name Chukwudi Odiah
Date of birth (1983-12-17) 17 December 1983 (age 42)
Place of birth Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position Right-back
Youth career
Eagle Cement
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–1999 Eagle Cement 28 (3)
2000 Julius Berger 10 (1)
2000–2004 Sheriff Tiraspol 58 (5)
2004–2012 CSKA Moscow 105 (3)
Total 201 (12)
International career
2004–2010 Nigeria 28 (1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Chukwudi "Chidi" Odiah (born 17 December 1983) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a right-back. A former international, he was known for his work ethic, skills and attacking prowess.

Club career

Eagle Cement and Julius Berger

Odiah began his career with Eagle Cement in the Nigeria Premier League before moving to Julius Berger F.C. in 2000, for which he played 10 games and won the league.

Sheriff Tiraspol

In late 2000, Odiah moved to Sheriff Tiraspol. He appeared in 58 games and scored five goals, becoming one of the major players in the team as they dominated Moldovan football and won many honours.

CSKA Moscow

At the 2003 CIS Cup, Odiah drew the attention of CSKA Moscow and joined the club a year later on a four-year contract. His first trophy with the club was the 2004 Russian Super Cup. During CSKA's 2004–05 UEFA Cup campaign, he scored the first goal in the 4–0 quarter-final win over Auxerre, with the campaign culminating in CSKA winning the trophy by beating Sporting CP 3–1 in the final at the Estádio José Alvalade, where Odiah played the entire match. Later that year, he went on to win the Russian Cup and the Russian Premier League title, completing a historic treble. In the 2005 UEFA Super Cup, he played 90 minutes before being substituted ahead of extra time. In early 2006, Odiah won another Russian Super Cup, scoring a vital equalizer in the 3–2 victory over Spartak Moscow. However, shortly after, he sustained a severe knee injury, sidelining him for nearly 18 months and causing him to miss most of CSKA's domestic treble campaign. He later featured in the UEFA Champions League, notably helping the club reach the quarter-finals during the 2009–10 campaign, while also winning three more Russian Cups and two additional Russian Super Cups. He left CSKA by mutual consent on 16 February 2012.

International career

Chidi represented his nation at various youth levels. He played for Nigeria U-17 national team to African U-17 Championship – winner of the tournament. On the next event, Meridian Cup, he was team captain. His premier match in the senior team took place in September 2004, in a match against Zimbabwe. Chidi also twice won the bronze medal with Nigeria senior team at the African Cup of Nations – 2006, 2010.

Odiah was chosen for the team of Nigeria to 2010 FIFA World Cup and in the first match against Argentina came into the starting lineup, as well in the match with South Korea, he made goal assist.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
CSKA Moscow 2004 Russian Premier League 21060–270
2005 2726015110493
2006 3020101171
2007 4000200060
2008 2301040–280
2009 1302030–180
2010 1111020–141
2011–12 300000–00
Total 1053120331211525
Career total 1053120331211525

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Nigeria 200420
200550
200660
200700
200841
200920
201090
Total281
Score and result list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after Odiah goal.
International goal scored by Chidi Odiah
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
111 October 2008Abuja, Nigeria Sierra Leone4–14–12010 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Julius Berger

Sheriff Tiraspol

CSKA Moscow

Nigeria

Nigeria U17

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Player Profile". FIFA. Retrieved 8 August 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  2. ↑ uefa.com (19 January 2004). "Member associations - News – UEFA.com". UEFA. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  3. ↑ "UEFA Europa League 2004/05 - History - CSKA Moskva-Auxerre – UEFA.com". Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  4. ↑ "Young guns blazing at CSKA". 14 April 2005. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  5. ↑ "Sporting 1–3 CSKA Moscow". 18 May 2005. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  6. ↑ "Liverpool vs CSKA Moskva". pfc-cska.com. uefa.com. 26 August 2005. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  7. ↑ "Суперкубок России — 2006". pfc-cska.com (in Russian). PFC CSKA Moscow. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  8. ↑ "ЦСКА дал мне очень много»: Одиа — о закате карьеры, беседах со Слуцким, дружбе с Жирковым и походе за Кубком УЕФА". pfc-cska.com (in Russian). PFC CSKA Moscow. 22 May 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  9. ↑ "Чемпион России — 2006". pfc-cska.com. PFC CSKA Moscow. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  10. ↑ "2009/2010 All competitions Player matches Chidi Odiah". pfc-cska.com. statbunker.com. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  11. ↑ "Чиди Одиа покинул ПФК ЦСКА". pfc-cska.com (in Russian). PFC CSKA Moscow. 16 February 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  12. ↑ "Nigeria Squad - World Cup 2010 - ESPN Soccernet". Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  13. 1 2 3 "Chidi Odiah". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  14. ↑ "C.Odiah". uk.soccerway.com. Soccerway. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  15. ↑ "33 best football players of Russian championship". news.rin.ru. Retrieved 14 May 2018.