on Joel Chukwuma Obi (born May 22, 1991) is a professional footballer from Nigeria who plays as a midfielder for Italian Serie B club Reggina and the Nigeria national team, Super Eagles.
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Joel Obi Biography
Joel Chukwuma Obi
May 22, 1991
Lagos State
Footballer
Reggina, Super Eagles
$1.5 million
Instagram: @joelobi22
Twitter: @joelobi20
Early Life
Joel Obi was born on the 22nd of May, 1991, in Lagos State, which falls among the states in the Southwestern part of Nigeria. He grew up and had an educational background in Lagos.
Career
Professional Career
Joel Obi started his professional career when José Mourinho took notice of him in 2009 and periodically introduced him to Inter’s first squad.
On September 29, 2010, Obi made his Inter debut against Werder Bremen in a UEFA Champions League group stage match. After replacing fellow midfielder Dejan Stankovi in the 80th minute, he played the final 10 minutes of the game.
Joel Obi and Nwankwo Obiora were jointly sold to Parma in January 2011 for €750,000 and €300,000, respectively. Obi stayed at Inter for the remainder of the season though, making 10 league, two Coppa Italia, and one Champions League appearances.
He made 27 appearances in Serie A, two in the Coppa Italia, seven in the Champions League, and one in the Supercoppa Italian final by the end of the 2011–12 season. However, a serious injury that forced him to spend a lot of time resting cut his season short. He played in the Europa League, the Coppa Italia, and two league games before the season were over.
Joel Obi was substituted for Marco Parolo in an away game against Catania on September 2, 2013, while on loan to Parma. He only made eight appearances before going back to Inter.
Obi made his comeback for Inter on August 28, 2014, playing against Stjarnan at home and winning 6-0 in the Europa League. He started the Milan derby on November 23 and scored the equalizer, marking his first goal of the year. On January 25, 2015, in a home loss to Torino that ended in a score of 0–1, he made his comeback to the field as a starter while playing fullback. At the season’s end, he had made 17 appearances and scored one goal. He played 71 times in total for Inter, scoring three goals.
Obi joined Torino on July 2, 2015, for a fee of €2.2 million, and he committed to a 4-year deal. He swiftly had two injuries before the start of the season, the last of which forced him to sit out the first half of the 2015–16 campaign. In the game against Chievo Verona on February 7, 2016, he returned to the field and started as a starter before being replaced by Alexander Farnerud in the second half. He played against Sassuolo on August 26, 2017, in his 24th game for Torino, and in the 88th minute, he netted his second goal and first of the year. Torino won 3-0 at home to win the game.
Obi signed a three-year contract with a one-year option with Serie A club Chievo Verona on August 11, 2018. In January 2019 Obi was loaned to the Turkish team Alanyaspor for the second half of the 2018–19 season.
The midfielder scored four goals in 31 Serie B games for Chievo in the 2020–21 season. Obi joined the U.S. Salernitana 1919, a newly promoted Serie A team, on a free transfer on July 21, 2021.
Joel Obi accepted a deal for a year with the possibility of an extension. Obi began playing for Reggina on a two-year contract on July 20, 2022.
International Career
On February 9, 2011, Obi made his Nigerian debut against Sierra Leone in a friendly match played in Lagos. Before suffering an injury toward the close of 2012, he started the Eagles’ subsequent 11 straight games. He was in the World Cup 2014 preliminary team. He was included in Nigeria’s initial 30-man team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia in May 2018.
Honours
Internazionale
- 2011: Coppa Italia
- 2010: Supercoppa Italiana
- 2010: FIFA Club World Cup
Net Worth
According to different online sources, Joel Obi has an estimated net worth of $1.5 million. He realized his wealth from his football career.
Social Media Handles
Joel Obi is very active on social media platforms, especially on Instagram where he has a verified account with over 42,600 followers. On Twitter also, he has over 24,900 followers. You can follow him on social media through the following handles.
- Instagram: @joelobi22
- Twitter: @joelobi20
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