Former youth international Obinna Nwobodo is finally coming good at top division side Goztepe after his transfer to Turkey this past summer.
Nwobodo was a star performer for his team despite a 1-0 loss to Trabzonspor on Wednesday but must now take consolation in the fact that he has gradually played his way to reckoning at the modest club after a slow start to his career in Izmir.
And he is tipped to turn Goztepe’s dwindling fortunes around when they host Antalyaspor this afternoon.
The 24 year-old Nwobodo injured his knee ligament in his very first training with his new team in September 2020 and was out for nearly a month.
And after regaining full fitness, he had to fight for a place in the team with sporadic substitute appearances and in unfamiliar positions, including at right back.
But the energetic midfielder, who was instrumental in the Flying Eagles of Nigeria winning the Africa U-20 Championship in 2015, looks to have now cemented his place in his favourite central midfield role.
He capped a run of five consecutive starts with a display that earned him accolades in the last round of games in the Turkish first league.
Nwobodo was nominated as one of the Super Lig’s top players at the conclusion of the 17th round of matches in midweek.
He won the most duels of all the 10 games played, 17.
He also placed first as the seven times he won the ball from Trabzonspor players was the most by any player in all the matches played.
After helping Enugu Rangers reclaim the Nigerian league title after a 32-year wait, Nwobodo transferred to Ujpest of Hungary in 2017.
He won the Hungarian Cup with them in his first season and featured in the Europa League in the 2018/19 season before moving to Turkey in September.
