By Dayo Awoniyi
Former Nigeria forward Anthony Ujah has officially announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 33.
Ujah made the announcement via Instagram earlier today, bringing the curtain down on a career that spanned more than a decade across four countries and some of Europe’s toughest leagues.
The striker began his professional journey in Nigeria with Warri Wolves before moving to Norway’s Lillestrøm SK, where his eye for goal earned him a move to Germany.
In the Bundesliga, Ujah enjoyed notable spells with Mainz 05, 1. FC Köln, Werder Bremen, and later Union Berlin, becoming one of the few Nigerian players to carve out a long career in German football.
He also had a stint in Asia with Liaoning Whowin in the Chinese Super League before returning to Germany with Eintracht Braunschweig. His final professional chapter came in Bulgaria with PFC Botev Plovdiv.
On the international stage, Ujah represented Nigeria between 2011 and 2014, featuring in World Cup qualifiers and friendly matches, though he narrowly missed out on selection for major tournaments.
Renowned for his work rate, adaptability, and professionalism, Ujah leaves behind a reputation as a resilient striker who successfully navigated different football cultures and left his mark across Europe and beyond.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
