born
October 28,
1984 in
Lagos,
Nigeria) is a
Nigerian international football player who is a
striker for
Newcastle United. He made his first team debut for
Internazionale at the age of 18, but did not break into the first team until the following season.
Martins is renowned for his great pace, which allows him to get behind defenders and create one-on-one chances with the goalkeeper. He also enjoys doing up to 11 somersaults after scoring a goal.
Martins reportedly can run 100 meters in less than 11 seconds. He was also very good at the long jump and high jump
During discussion surrounding Obafemi's transfer to Newcastle, rumours started to surface that instead of Obafemi being only 21 that he was actually 25 or even 26.
[4] However, this rumour was confirmed as untrue by the Nigerian FA, who were the root of the rumours originally when they had a clerical error on his birth date (which stated he was born in 1978) when they first called him up to the national team. The Newcastle Fans have embraced this mix up over his Date of Birth, turning it into a football chant. Often you can hear the St. James Park crowd singing "21 or 28, 21 or 28, 21 or 28, Obafemi Martins"
Martins has two brothers. His elder brother,
Oladipupo Olarotini Martins, is on the books of
Serbian side
FK Partizan, but is in fact in the roster of its subsidiary,
FK Teleoptik. His younger brother
John Abiola Martins is 16 years old and plays football in Nigeria.
Bref, faut qu'il apprenne a marquer des buts
Zero
-Deute