Orji Okwonkwo

Having already scored as a Cittadella player, Orji Okwonkwo has had a brilliant start to life at the Granata. On loan from Bologna, Okwonkwo is looking to be an important part of the Cittadella attack.

Okwonkwo was born on January 19, 1998 in Benin City, Nigeria. He spent his youth career playing in his home country, training at the FC Abuja Academy. His performances in Nigeria caught the eye of Bologna. He was signed in the summer of 2016.

Before heading to Italy, Okwonkwo was part of Nigeria’s U17 national team. He made nine appearances for his country in 2015. Orji was part of Nigeria’s U17 World Cup squad in Chile. He started in the semi finals against Mexico, scoring an unbelievable goal from distance. The goal helped Nigeria reach the final. With ten minutes to go, Okwonkwo came on to close out a 2-0 lead. Nigeria were victorious in Chile, as the young superstars were the U17 champions of the world!

A year later, Okwonkwo landed in Italy. On November 20, 2016, Okwonkwo made his Serie A debut, coming on in the last minutes of the match against Palermo. In addition to being with the first team, he also had game time with Bologna’s Primavera, scoring 15 goals.

Okwonkwo had another promising start in the beginning of the 17/18 season. His first Serie A goal came on Matchday 6, in a 1-0 away win against Sassuolo. The striker scored in the 89th minute, claiming all three points for Bologna.

Bologna loaned Orji to Brescia in Serie B later on in 2018. He got much needed game time in the second division, getting 13 games in half a season for Brescia.

Coming back to Bologna, he followed a similar pattern like last year. Only making nine appearances until January, Bologna loaned Orji to partners Montreal Impact in MLS. It was a great signing for the Impact, and he made 32 appearances during the season. He scored 8 and assisted twice, but it wasn’t enough for the Canadian club. A poor string of results at the end of the season saw the Impact miss the playoffs.

Going into 2020 under French legend Thierry Henry, Okwonkwo couldn’t get started during the season. He only scored twice all season, and a hamstring injury saw him miss most of the season. He came back to Bologna after the season.

Another loan spell was coming for Okwonkwo, as he played for Reggina for the rest of their Serie B season. He did not score, and made twelve appearances.

Cittadella got Okwonkwo on a season loan in July. In his first match, he scored against Monza in a 2-1. It’s no denying that Okwonkwo has talent and with the right setting for him, he can thrive and produce goals for any team he plays for. After a disappointing 2020 season, Okwonkwo looks to regain his form we know he is capable of, and he’s off to a great start here at Cittadella.