Nwankwo Kanu

Nwankwo Kanu OON (born 1 August 1976) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He was a member of the Nigerian national team, and played for Nigerian team Iwuanyanwu Nationale, Dutch side Ajax, Inter Milan of Italy, and English clubs Arsenal, West Bromwich Albion and Portsmouth.[4]

Nwankwo Kanu

Kanu in a friendly in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Nwankwo Kanu[1]
Date of birth	(1976-08-01) 1 August 1976[2]
Place of birth	Owerri, Nigeria
Height	1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)[3]
Playing position(s)	Forward[2]
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1992–1993	Iwuanyanwu Nationale	25	(15)
1993–1996	Ajax	54	(25)
1996–1999	Inter Milan	12	(1)
1999–2004	Arsenal	119	(30)
2004–2006	West Bromwich Albion	53	(7)
2006–2012	Portsmouth	143	(20)
Total		406	(98)
National team
1993	Nigeria U17	6	(5)
1996	Nigeria U23	6	(3)
1994–2011	Nigeria	87	(12)
Honours Men's Football Representing  Nigeria Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta Team Competition Africa Cup of Nations Runner-up 2000 Ghana-Nigeria FIFA U-17 World Cup Winner 1993 Japan
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Kanu won a UEFA Champions League medal, a UEFA Cup medal, three FA Cup medals and two African Player of the Year awards amongst others. He is one of few players to have won the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, UEFA Cup and an Olympic Gold Medal.[5] He made the third-most substitute appearances in Premier League history, appearing from the bench 118 times,[6] and is regarded as one of the best players in African football history.[7]

He is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador,[8] and African brand ambassador for digital TV operator StarTimes.[9] He is also the owner of Kanu Sports TV, an Internet sports television company.[10][11]

Club career

Early career

Born in Owerri, Imo,[2] Nigeria, Kanu began his career at Nigerian league club Federation Works, before moving to Iwuanyanwu Nationale. After a notable performance at the U-17 World Championships he was signed by Dutch Eredivisie AFC Ajax in 1993 for an undisclosed fee. He made his Ajax debut that year and went on to score 25 goals in 54 appearances. Kanu also came on as a sub in Ajax's 1995 Champions League final win over A.C. Milan.

Inter

In 1996, Ajax sold Kanu to Serie A side Inter Milan for around $4.7 million. That summer he captained the Nigerian team that won gold at the Olympics, and scored two late goals in the semi-finals against powerhouses Brazil to overturn a 2–3 scoreline into a 4–3 win in extra time.[12] Kanu was also named African Footballer of the Year for that year.[13][14]

However, soon after returning from the Olympics, Kanu underwent a medical examination at Inter, which revealed a serious heart defect; he underwent surgery in November 1996 to replace an aortic valve and did not return to his club until April 1997. In interviews, Kanu frequently cites his faith as a Christian,[15] and has often mentioned this trying time of his career as an occasion when he prayed to God. Kanu's experience also led to his founding the Kanu Heart Foundation, an organisation that helps predominantly young African children who suffer heart defects and whose work was expanded to provide aid for homeless children in 2008.[16]

Arsenal

In February 1999, after just twelve league games and one goal for Inter, Kanu was signed by Arsenal for approximately £4.15 million. He made his debut for Arsenal, against Sheffield United in the FA Cup. With the score 1–1 and ten minutes to go, the Sheffield United goalkeeper Alan Kelly kicked the ball out of touch so that treatment could be given to Lee Morris. When the ball was thrown back into play by Ray Parlour, although it was intended for Kelly, Kanu chased the throw-in down the right wing unchallenged and centered the ball for Marc Overmars, who scored to make the match 2–1. After the match, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger accepted that it was not correct sportsmanship and offered to re-play the match[17] which was again won by Arsenal.[18]

Despite the events overshadowing his debut, Kanu's career was quickly revived at Arsenal. He scored his first goal for the club in the next round of the cup against Derby County, coming off the bench to net the only goal of the game.[19] He quickly became known for his goal scoring prowess from the bench, scoring important goals against Sheffield Wednesday, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa as a substitute.[20][21][22] He became very popular among the fans for his two-fingered salute which started in 1999 against Middlesbrough – something that he later explained was based on the team's nickname, The Gunners.[23]

Kanu was named African Footballer of the Year for the second time in 1999. In the 1999–2000 season he scored 17 times in 50 matches for the Gunners, including a hat-trick in fifteen minutes against Chelsea to turn a 2–0 deficit into a 3–2 victory. In August 2001, Arsenal rejected a bid from Fulham of around £7m for Kanu.[24] However, Kanu's appearances for Arsenal gradually became less frequent, particularly after the emergence of Thierry Henry as Arsenal's first choice striker with Kanu being mainly used as a substitute. Kanu then won the 2003 FA Cup with Arsenal.[25] Along with other famous players, such as Henry and Robert Pires, Kanu is a member of the "Invincibles", the Arsenal side that finished the 2003–04 season of the Premier League undefeated. He played 197 games for Arsenal, scoring 44 goals. In the summer of 2004, after his contract with Arsenal ended, he moved to West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer. In 2008, Kanu was voted 13th in the "Gunners' Greatest 50 Players" poll.[26]

In the summer of 2006, Kanu played as a guest for Arsenal in Dennis Bergkamp's testimonial game, the first match to be played in Arsenal's new Emirates Stadium. The game was tied 1–1 when Kanu scored the winning goal, making him the third person to score in the stadium. At the end of the match, Kanu joined the rest of the Arsenal side in hoisting the retired Dutchman on their shoulders as fans gave him a standing ovation.[27][28] He remains a popular figure at Arsenal, being applauded when he appears at the Emirates Stadium.[29] During his time with the club, he wore the number 25 shirt.[30]

West Bromwich Albion

West Brom had just been promoted to the Premier League for the second time in the space of two years. Kanu started as a regular for the club, making his debut in a 1–1 draw away at Blackburn Rovers on 14 August 2004. He scored his first goal for Albion on 18 September 2004, an 88th-minute equalizer in a 1–1 home draw against Fulham. In a match against Middlesbrough on 14 November 2004, Kanu was guilty of an incredible miss in injury time, with Albion 2–1 down. Kanu had sent a low cross over the bar from a yard away from the goal line. Manager Bryan Robson was seen in TV footage mouthing the words "How did he miss that?", and Kanu's howler was crowned "Miss of the Season" by many media outlets in their end-of-season reviews. Nevertheless, the 2004–05 season was ultimately a memorable one for West Brom, as they became the first club to avoid relegation from the Premier League after being bottom of the table at Christmas.

One of the most memorable games of the 2005–06 season for Kanu came with the visit of his former club Arsenal to The Hawthorns on 15 October 2005. Philippe Senderos put the visitors ahead in the 17th minute, but Kanu equalised shortly before half time. West Brom went on to win the match 2–1 with a spectacular strike from Darren Carter. It was their first home win over Arsenal since 1973,[31] and the first time that they had come from behind to win a Premier League game.[32] But such highlights were rare for Albion that season, and the club was relegated at the end of 2005–06. Kanu's contract had expired, and he chose not to renew it. In his two years at The Hawthorns he made a total of 58 appearances – 16 of them as a substitute – and scored nine goals.

Portsmouth

Kanu playing for Portsmouth in 2007

Kanu was a free agent following his departure from West Brom, and he signed for Portsmouth on a one-year deal shortly before the start of the 2006–07 season.[33] Pompey had undergone a revival in the second half of the previous campaign, following the return of Harry Redknapp as manager, avoiding relegation by four points after being in serious danger at the turn of the year. At the start of the 2006–07 season, they were undefeated in their first five games, during which they did not concede a single goal. Kanu made his debut for Portsmouth as a substitute against Blackburn Rovers on 19 August 2006, the opening day of the 2006–07 Premier League season. He scored twice and missed a penalty.[34] Kanu went on to finish the season as the top goalscorer for Portsmouth, with 12 goals altogether. He then signed a new one year deal with the club.[35]

In his second season at Portsmouth, Kanu scored in both the FA Cup 1–0 semi-final win against West Bromwich Albion and the 1–0 win in the final against Cardiff City, earning him a third FA Cup winner's medal.[36][37]

His first goal of the 2008–09 season put Portsmouth 2–0 up in their eventual 2–2 UEFA Cup draw with Italian club A.C. Milan. He later scored the winning goal against Bolton Wanderers, which ensured Pompey's mathematical safety. It was his only Premier League goal of 2008–09. He re-signed with Pompey in August 2010, with an eye on becoming a coach when he retired.[38] Kanu signed a three-year deal and kept the number 27 shirt,[39] but was not a regular starter throughout the course of the season and only managed two goals.

During the 2011–12 season, his playing time was reduced, appearing only from the bench. After the departure of Steve Cotterill, and the arrival of Michael Appleton, he was also removed from the bench, due to fitness and injury problems. By May 2012, aided by a point deduction for entering administration Portsmouth had found themselves in a relegation battle which eventually ended in them relegated to Football League One. To cut costs the Administrator hoped to reach agreement to terminate the contracts of Kanu along with six other players due to them being the highest-earning players at the club. On 9 July 2012, it was announced that Kanu and Aaron Mokoena were expected to leave the club after failing to attend the first day back at pre-season training.[40] Kanu threatened to sue Portsmouth for unpaid back wages.[41] On 30 July, Kanu agreed to leave Portsmouth, but he reiterated that he was still in a dispute over the unpaid wages that the club owed him.[42] In April 2013 he confirmed that he had dropped the case and let the club off the £3 million they owed him.[41]

International career

Kanu was a member of the Nigerian national team from 1994 to 2010, making his debut in friendly against Sweden. Earlier on at the start of his career, Kanu was instrumental in Nigeria's overall success at the 1993 FIFA U-17 tournament in Japan and their subsequent 2–1 victory over Ghana in the final. With five goals, he was second joint-scorer in the tournament with Peter Anosike and Manuel Neira, behind compatriot and Captain Wilson Oruma.[43]

As well as winning the Olympic gold in the football event at 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, where he scored the winning goal in the 4–3 semi-final win over Brazil, his second goal of the match.[44] Kanu participated in the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cups. On 24 June 2010, Kanu ended his international career following Nigeria's exit from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Nigeria lost their group matches against Argentina and Greece, before a 2–2 draw with South Korea ended their stay in the tournament.[45] He won 86 caps and scored 13 goals for his country and was the joint most capped Nigerian player of all-time alongside Muda Lawal, until Joseph Yobo surpassed both players in 2012, winning his 87th cap.[46] Despite serving as a striker, he wore the number 4 shirt for Nigeria.[30][47]

Style of play

Despite his physical strength, slender frame, and large stature of 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in), Kanu was a talented player, who was quick and elegant in possession, and who possessed an excellent touch on the ball and nimble footwork; he was also highly regarded in the media for his technical skills, dribbling ability, and close control, as well as his flair and use of feints, which made him an unpredictable player on the pitch. He was also an intelligent player, who possessed good vision and movement, as well as being a good passer, who had the ability to read the game and an eye for the final ball, which – along with his timing and finishing ability – allowed him both to score and create goals; however, he also lacked significant pace, and drew criticism at times in the media over his work-rate, "languid" playing style, and occasional tendency to miss easy goalscoring opportunities.[48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61] Although he was often deployed as a centre-forward or striker,[62][63] his creativity also allowed him to operate in a more withdrawn attacking role behind or supporting the main striker, or even in an advanced playmaking role.[59][64] Although his height made him a strong presence in the air, he was more adept at scoring with his feet than with his head, despite his size, although he improved upon his aerial game in his later career.[51][65][66][67][68][69] He was also known for his determination and ability to hold-up the ball with his back to goal.[70][71] Moreover, his ability to score decisive goals when coming off the bench earned him a reputation as a "super sub" in the media during his time with Arsenal.[72] However, despite being a gifted player, he was also known for being inconsistent,[73] and his congenital heart defect is thought to have had a negative impact on his career and fitness, although he was able to improve his stamina following corrective survery through his training.[55][74][75] He is considered by pundits to be one of the greatest African players of all time,[7] and by some, as the greatest Nigerian player ever.[75]

Personal life

Kanu is a native of Okija in Ihiala local government area of Anambra State, southeast Nigeria,[76][77][78] Nwankwo means "Child born on Nkwo market day" in the Igbo language.[79]

Kanu's younger brother, Christopher, was also a footballer, who played as a defender;[80] he also has another younger brother, Ogbonna.[81] Kanu is a Christian.[55]

Kanu was born with a congenital heart defect, which impeded his aortic valve from closing properly; it was discovered and operated on in 1996. Although it was feared that he would not play again, and that it would affect his career, he made a full recovery.[55][74] He undergoes an annual medical check-up for the condition. In March 2014, he successfully underwent corrective heart surgery once again, in the United States.[81]

Philanthropy

Kanu's own experience with a congenital heart defect moved him to set up the "Kanu Heart Foundation" in 2000, a foundation which aims to tackle homelessness, and which also built five hospitals in Africa to treat children with undiagnosed heart disease and provide them surgery.[16][81][82][83]

Career statistics

Club

Sources:[84][85]

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Iwuanyanwu Nationale	1992–93	Nigerian Premier League	25	15							25	15
Ajax	1993–94	Eredivisie	6	2	-	-
	1994–95		18	10	1	1			7	1	26	12
	1995–96		30	13	-	-			9	0	39	13
	Total		54	25	1	1			16	1	71	27
Inter Milan	1996–97	Serie A	0	0					0	0	0	0
	1997–98		11	1					5	0	16	1
	1998–99		1	0							1	0
	Total		12	1					5	0	17	1
Arsenal	1998–99	Premier League	12	6	5	1	-	-	-	-	17	7
	1999–2000		31	12	2	0	1	1	15	3	49	16
	2000–01		27	3	1	0	-	-	14	2	42	5
	2001–02		23	3	5	2	2	1	9	0	39	6
	2002–03		16	5	1	0	1	0	8	1	26	6
	2003–04		10	1	3	0	4	2	7	0	24	3
	Total		119	30	17	3	8	4	53	6	197	43
West Bromwich Albion	2004–05	Premier League	28	2	2	1	-	-	-	-	30	3
	2005–06		25	5	1	0	2	1	-	-	28	6
	Total		53	7	3	1	2	1	0	0	58	9
Portsmouth	2006–07	Premier League	36	10	2	2	-	-	-	-	38	12
	2007–08		25	4	5	2	1	1	-	-	31	7
	2008–09		17	1	2	0	1	0	5	1	25	2
	2009–10		23	2	1	0	4	2	-	-	28	4
	2010–11	Championship	32	2	1	0	1	0	-	-	34	2
	2011–12		10	1	0	0	1	0	-	-	11	1
	Total		143	20	11	4	8	3	5	1	167	28
Career total			406	98	32	9	18	8	79	8	535	123

• Not including 1999 Charity Shield appearance and goal

International

Source:[86]

Nigeria national team
Year	Apps	Goals
1994	3	0
1995	2	1
1996	0	0
1997	1	0
1998	5	1
1999	0	0
2000	10	1
2001	6	2
2002	11	0
2003	4	3
2004	7	0
2005	6	2
2006	8	0
2007	6	2
2008	6	0
2009	5	0
2010	5	0
2011	1	0
Total	87	12

International goals

Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	21 October 1995	Pakhtakor Markaziy Stadium, Tashkent	Uzbekistan	3–1	3–2	1995 Afro-Asian Cup of Nations
2	5 June 1998	Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam	Netherlands	1–3	1–5	Friendly
3	22 April 2000	Lagos National Stadium, Lagos	Eritrea	4–0	4–0	2002 World Cup qualifier
4	27 January 2001	Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt	Sudan	3–0	3–0	2002 World Cup qualifier
5	5 May 2001	Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt	Liberia	1–0	2–0	2002 World Cup qualifier
6	25 May 2003	Independence Park, Kingston	Jamaica	2–2	2–3	Friendly
7	7 June 2003	Abuja Stadium, Abuja	Malawi	3–1	4–1	2004 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier
8				4–1
9	26 March 2005	Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt	Gabon	2–0	2–0	2006 World Cup qualifier
10	8 October 2005	Abuja Stadium, Abuja	Zimbabwe	4–1	5–1	2006 World Cup qualifier
11	24 March 2007	MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta	Uganda	1–0	1–0	2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier
12	17 June 2007	Stade Général Seyni Kountché, Niamey	Niger	1–0	3–1	2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier

Honours

Iwuanyanwu Nationale

• Nigerian Premier League: 1992–93[87]

Ajax

• Eredivisie: 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96[87]
• UEFA Champions League: 1994–95[87]
• UEFA Super Cup: 1995[87]
• Intercontinental Cup: 1995[87]

Inter Milan

• UEFA Cup: 1997–98[87]

Arsenal

• Premier League: 2001–02, 2003–04[3]
• FA Cup: 2001–02,[88] 2002–03;[89] runner-up: 2000–01[90]
• FA Charity Shield: 1999[91]
• UEFA Cup runner-up: 1999–2000[92]

Portsmouth

• FA Cup: 2007–08[93]

Nigeria U17

• FIFA U-17 World Cup: 1993[87]

Nigeria U23

• Olympic Gold Medal: 1996[87]

Nigeria

• Afro-Asian Cup of Nations: 1995
• African Cup of Nations runner-up: 2000[94]

Individual

• African Footballer of the Year: 1996, 1999[95]
• BBC African Footballer of the Year: 1997, 1999[96]
• FA Cup Final Man of the Match: 2008[97]
• IFFHS Legends[98]

References

1. "List of Players under Written Contract Whose Registrations have been Terminated by Either Party Between 01/07/2012 and 31/07/2012". The Football Association. p. 36. Archived from the original on 23 October 2019.
2. "Nwankwo Kanu". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
3. "Kanu: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
4. "Nwankwo Kanu". Eurosport.com.
5. "Olympic Football Tournaments Seoul 1988 – Men". FIFA. 3 August 1996.
6. "All Time Player Records". Premiersoccerstats.com. 13 August 2010. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
7. "The 50 Greatest African Players of All Time", Bleacher Report.com
8. "Kanu to tackle homeless problem". BBC Sport. 2 July 2008.
9. "StarTimes appoints Kanu Nwankwo as brand ambassador". Goal.com. 30 October 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
10. "Kanu Nwankwo to launch first indigenous sports TV". AOI Football. 11 June 2018.
11. "Official website of Kanu Sports Television". kanusportstv.com. 12 May 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
12. FIFA.com. "Olympic Football Tournaments 2020 - Men - News - Africa's golden Olympic history - FIFA.com". www.fifa.com. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
13. "NWANKWO KANU AND THE LANGUID BRILLIANCE OF NIGERIA'S MOST CELEBRATED FOOTBALLER". These Football Times.co.
14. "GOLD". Dream Team FC.com.
15. Wilson, Jeremy (30 October 2006). "Portsmouth thrive on power of prayer and goals from born-again Kanu". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
16. Okeleji, Oluwashina (2 July 2008). "Kanu to tackle homeless problem". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
17. "Sport-wise it's not right". New Straits Times. 15 February 1999. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
18. Shaw, Phil (24 February 1999). "Football: Overmars seals action replay – Sport". The Independent. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
19. "Kanu's cup delight". BBC Sport.
20. "Arsenal 3–0 Sheffield Wednesday". Sky Sports.com.
21. "Tottenham 1–3 Arsenal". Sky Sports.com.
22. "Arsenal 1–0 Aston Villa". 11v11.com.
23. "VIDEO: ARSENAL DESIGN XMAS KEYRING FROM KANU NWANKWO'S SHIRT". Chronicle.ng.
24. "Arsenal reject Kanu bid". BBC Sport. 15 August 2001. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
25. "Games played by Nwankwo Kanu in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
26. "Gunners' Greatest Players – 13. Kanu". Arsenal.com. 9 July 2008. Archived from the original on 2 November 2011.
27. "Bergkamp bids farewell". The Guardian.com.
28. "Pictures: Dennis Bergkamp's testimonial". Arsenal.com.
29. "A salute to Kanu, mercurial genius and ultimate Arsenal cult hero". Planet Football.com.
30. "World Cup Players to Watch – Togo: Emmanuel Adebayor". DW.com. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
31. P.bacon, Chris (17 October 2005). "Injury-ravaged Arsenal losing sight of leaders". The Independent.
32. "WBA vs Arsenal". Official Albion website. 15 October 2005. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2007.
33. "Portsmouth complete Kanu signing". BBC Sport. 17 August 2006. Retrieved 10 August 2007.
34. "Middlesbrough 0–4 Portsmouth". BBC Sport.
35. "Kanu signs one-year Pompey deal". BBC Sport.
36. "West Brom 0–1 Portsmouth". BBC Sport.
37. "FA Cup final: Kanu punishes Cardiff to win Cup". Telegraph.co.uk.
38. Kanu to be coach (MTNfootball.com) Archived 1 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Africanfootball.mtnfootball.com (28 August 2010). Retrieved on 11 January 2012.
39. Pompey sign Kanu and Rocha Archived 13 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Portsmouthfc.co.uk. Retrieved on 11 January 2012.
40. "Nwankwo Kanu and Aaron Mokoena set for Portsmouth exit". BBC Sport. 9 July 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
41. Football, Mirror (2 April 2013). "Kanu believe it! Arsenal legend reveals he wrote off £3m from Portsmouth when he retired". mirror. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
42. "Kanu's Portsmouth exit buoys administrator Trevor Birch". BBC Sport. 30 July 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
43. "Top ten African players in FIFA World Cup history". Sporting Life. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
44. Olympic Football Tournaments Atlanta 1996 – Men. Nigeria – Argentina. Fifa.com Report. 3 August 1996. Retrieved on 11 January 2012.
45. Okeleji, Oluwashina (24 June 2010). "World Cup 2010: Kanu calls time on Nigeria career". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
46. "Joseph Yobo, Nwankwo Kanu & the five most capped Nigerian players". www.goal.com. 2 March 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
47. Ugbane, Dami (12 June 2018). "10 Facts about Super Eagles' World Cup jersey numbers". ESPN FC. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
48. "Peter Crouch and the 15 Most Awkward Soccer Players in the World". Bleacher Report. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
49. Adewuyi, Lolade (17 June 2011). "Nwankwo Kanu calls it quits from football, long live the legend!". Goal.com. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
50. "Kanu's fabulous 15 minutes". FIFA.com. 23 October 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
51. "African strikers graduate". BBC Sport. 20 December 2006. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
52. "From Vieira to Ozil: Arsene Wenger's 15 best signings for Arsenal". Goal.com. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
53. Lea, Greg (19 June 2018). "Rated! The all-time best (and worst) Premier League players from EVERY country at the 2018 World Cup". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
54. "Hit or miss: Nwankwo Kanu". The Times. 29 August 2006. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
55. Smith, Alan (18 March 2006). "Kanu all heart, on and off the pitch". The Telegraph. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
56. Adewuyi, Lolade (22 March 2010). "Nwankwo Kanu Is Too Good To Miss The World Cup - Portsmouth's Tommy Smith". Goal.com. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
57. Adewuyi, Lolade (4 August 2016). "Kanu: The lanky boy who shook the world at Atlanta '96". Goal.com. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
58. Matchett, Karl (7 February 2014). "Top 100 Premier League Imports of All Time". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
59. Chukwu, Solace (24 May 2017). "Just how good were the Ajax team of Finidi and Kanu?". Goal.com. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
60. Eanet, Lindsay (7 November 2011). "50 Best Dribblers in World Football". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
61. Dove, Ed (9 May 2020). "African Legends Cup of Nations: Kanu vs Abedi Pele". Goal.com. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
62. Monti, Fabio. "KANU, Nwankwo" (in Italian). Treccani: Enciclopedia dello Sport (2002). Retrieved 1 June 2020.
63. Ostleree, Lawrence (6 August 2018). "Nwankwo Kanu: 'Trophies are good but saving somebody who could die, giving them hope of life, it means a lot to me'". The Independent. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
64. Lea, Greg (2 April 2019). "The 25 best Arsenal players of the Premier League era". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
65. Dadabhoy, Saqib Ahmed (10 October 2011). "Soccer: Javier Hernandez and the 15 Most Awkward, Yet Successful Players Ever". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
66. Wilson, Jeremy (29 October 2006). "Portsmouth thrive on power of prayer and goals from born-again Kanu". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
67. "Kanu: "Grazie a Dio e a Moratti"". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 10 November 2006. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
68. Fanuli, Marco (27 December 2014). "Calcio giovanile, il 2015 sarà l'anno dello Spezia?". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). Retrieved 6 June 2020.
69. "Football:Wenger's forces lack directness". The Independent. 17 May 1999. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
70. "African stars light up Premiership". BBC Sport. 14 January 2000. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
71. Atkinson, Ron (21 December 2003). "How Gunners suffer from deep defence". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
72. Harmer, Alfie Potts (3 July 2017). "All-Time Greatest Nigeria Squad". www.hitc.com. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
73. Dunn, Alex. "Kanu seals Baggies switch". Sky Sports. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
74. Chandler, Michael J. (30 September 2016). "Arsene's anniversary: Top 20 players from Wenger's Arsenal tenure". The Score. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
75. Martini, Davide (8 May 2019). "Fucina Ajax: i giocatori scoperti dai Lancieri negli ultimi 30 anni e diventati top player" (in Italian). 90min.com. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
76. "Nwankwo Kanu Buries Mother|Photos From The Burial Of Nwankwo Kanu's Mother". www.nigerianmonitor.com. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
77. "Nigeria/Kenya: Kanu Buries Dad - allAfrica.com". www.allafrica.com. Retrieved 17 December 2007.
78. "Semi-final success unites Nigeria". BBC News. 11 February 2000. Retrieved 25 January 2009. Two of the Super Eagles' top international stars, Arsenal star Nwankwo Kanu and Paris St Germain's Augustine 'Jay-Jay' Okocha are Ibo.
79. "Meaning of Nwankwo in Nigerian". Nigerian.name. 24 January 2008. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
80. Fudge, Simon. "Fry plays down Kanu links". Sky Sports. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
81. Okeleji, Oluwashina (3 March 2014). "Kanu has corrective heart surgery". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
82. "The Kanu Heart Foundation". www.kanuheartfoundationng.com. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
83. Hytner, Dave (14 September 2018). "Nwankwo Kanu: 'We have saved 542 lives. This means more than football'". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
84. Nwankwo Kanu at Soccerbase
85. "Nwankwo Kanu". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
86. Nwankwo Kanu – International Appearances. RSSSF. Retrieved on 11 January 2012.
87. "Nwankwo Kanu – Career Honours". Soccerway.
88. "Arsenal lift FA Cup". BBC Sport. 4 May 2002. Archived from the original on 16 December 2002.
89. "Arsenal retain FA Cup". BBC Sport. 17 May 2003. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
90. "Owen shatters Arsenal in Cup final". BBC Sport. 12 May 2001. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
91. "Parlour gives Gunners Wembley win". BBC News. 1 August 1999. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
92. "Penalty heartbreak for Arsenal". BBC News. 17 May 2000. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
93. McNulty, Phil (17 May 2008). "Portsmouth 1–0 Cardiff". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
94. "Africa Cup of Nations 2000". The Shot.
95. "African Player of the Year". rsssf.com. 1 January 2000. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
96. Edwards, Piers (12 November 2016). "History of the BBC African Footballer of the Year award". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
97. "FA Cup final: Kanu punishes Cardiff to win Cup". Telegraph. 8 May 2008. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
98. "IFFHS announce the 48 football legend players". IFFHS. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.

External links

• Podcast Interview at Soccerhene.com
• Nwankwo Kanu at Soccerbase
• Nwankwo Kanu at National-Football-Teams.com
• Kanu Heart Foundation, a charity founded by Kanu to help African children with heart problems.