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Joel Obi Biography: Career, Honours, and Net Worth

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.

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’s professional career began after José Mourinho became aware of him in 2009 and frequently presented him to Inter’s starting lineup.

Obi made his Inter debut on September 29, 2010, against Werder Bremen in a UEFA Champions League group stage game. He played the final ten minutes of the game after taking the place of fellow midfielder Dejan Stankovi in the 80th minute.

In January 2011, Joel Obi and Nwankwo Obiora were traded together to Parma for €750,000 and €300,000. Obi remained at Inter for the rest of the campaign, playing in the league 10 times, twice in the Coppa Italia, and once in the Champions League.

By the end of the 2011–12 season, he has made 27 Serie A appearances, two in the Coppa Italia, seven in the Champions League, and one in the Supercoppa Italian final. His season was, however, cut short by a significant ailment that required him to spend a lot of time resting. Before the season was ended, he participated in two league games, the Coppa Italia, and the Europa League.

While on loan at Parma, Joel Obi was replaced by Marco Parolo in an away game against Catania on September 2, 2013. Only eight appearances were made by him before returning to Inter.

On August 28, 2014, Obi made his return for Inter, playing at home against Stjarnan and winning 6-0 in the Europa League. On November 23, he started the Milan derby and netted the equalizer for his first goal of the year. He returned to the game as a starter at fullback on January 25, 2015, in a home loss to Torino that ended with a score of 0-1. He made 17 appearances and one goal before the end of the season. He participated in 71 games for Inter in total, scoring three goals.

Obi signed a 4-year contract and paid a €2.2 million transfer fee to join Torino on July 2, 2015. Before the season began, he quickly suffered two injuries, the last of which required him to miss the first part of the 2015–16 season. He made a comeback and started as a starter in the match against Chievo Verona on February 7, 2016, before Alexander Farnerud took his place in the second half. On August 26, 2017, he took the field for Torino in his 24th game against Sassuolo, and in the 88th minute, he scored his second goal and first of the year. The game was won by Torino 3-0 at home.

On August 11, 2018, Obi agreed to a three-year deal with a one-year option with Serie A team Chievo Verona. Obi was loaned to the Turkish team Alanyaspor in January 2019 for the second half of the 2018–19 campaign.

During the 2020–21 Serie B season, the midfielder scored four goals in 31 games for Chievo. On July 21, 2021, Obi signed a free transfer agreement to play for the newly promoted Serie A team U.S. Salernitana 1919.

Joel Obi agreed to a one-year contract with an option for an extension. On July 20, 2022, Obi signed a two-year contract to play with Reggina.

International Career

Obi made his Nigerian debut against Sierra Leone on February 9, 2011, in a friendly game played in Lagos. He started the Eagles’ next 11 straight games until going down with an injury before the end of 2012. He was a member of the World Cup 2014 opening squad. He was one of the original 30 members of Nigeria’s roster for the May 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

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.

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