Stanley Okoro

Stanley Osaretin Okoro (born 8 December 1992) is a Nigerian footballer who plays as a winger or forward.

Stanley Okoro
Personal information
Full name Stanley Osaretin Okoro
Date of birth (1992-12-08) 8 December 1992
Place of birth Enugu, Nigeria
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Winger / Forward
Youth career
National Grammar
2005–2008 River Lane FC
2008–2009 Heartland
2010–2011 Almería
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2010 Heartland
2011–2015 Almería B 50 (8)
2013–2014 → Cherno More (loan) 19 (2)
2016–2017 Abia Warriors
2017 Plateau United
National team‡
2009 Nigeria U-17 7 (3)
2011 Nigeria U-20 4 (2)
2010– Nigeria 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 December 2014
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 5 September 2010

Career

Born in Enugu, Okoro finished his graduation with Heartland FC, after spells with River Lane FC and National Grammar School. He made his senior debuts with the former in 2009.

On 14 April 2010, Okoro joined UD Almeria in Spain, signing a four-year contract.[1] He was initially assigned to the Juvenil squad, being promoted to the reserves in the following year.

In July 2013, Okoro moved to Bulgarian A Professional Football Group side Cherno More Varna in a season-long loan deal.[2] He played his first match as a professional on 3 August, starting in a 0–0 draw at CSKA Sofia,[3] and scored his first goal on 11 December, netting the first of a 2–0 win at Lokomotiv Sofia.[4]

On 29 May 2014, Okoro was promoted to the Andalusians' main squad for the pre-season,[5] but returned to the B-side in August. Released in the summer of 2015, he returned to his nation in 2016, signing for Abia Warriors FC.[6]

On 7 May 2017, Okoro joined fellow Nigerian Professional Football League side Plateau United FC,[7] but was released on 28 September.[8]

International career

Okoro appeared with the under-17 team at the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup,[9] playing his first match in the tournament in a 3–3 draw against Germany and scoring his side's first goal through a penalty kick in the 54th minute.[10] He subsequently scored against New Zealand and Spain, and was a starter in the eventual 0–1 final loss to Switzerland.[11]

On 29 August 2010, Okoro was called up to the main squad, replacing injured Joseph Akpala for a 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Madagascar.[12] He made debut on 5 September, coming on as a second-half substitute for Michael Eneramo in a 2–0 win at the U. J. Esuene Stadium.[13]

Personal life

Okoro's older brothers, Osas and Charles, are also footballers.[14]

References
  1. "Nigeria: Okoro Joins Kalu in Almeria". AllAfrica. 14 April 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  2. "Okoro se marcha cedido al Cherno More de Bulgaria" [Okoro goes on loan to Cherno More of Bulgaria] (in Spanish). La Voz de Almería. 11 August 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  3. "ЦСКА – Черно море 0:0, мачът по минути" [CSKA – Cherno More 0:0, match report] (in Bulgarian). Blitz. 3 August 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  4. ""Локомотив" (София) загуби с 0:2 от "Черно море"" ["Lokomotiv" (Sofia) lost 0:2 to "Cherno More"] (in Bulgarian). Bulgaria on Air. 11 December 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  5. "Stanley Okoro hará la pretemporada con el primer equipo" [Stanley Okoro will make the pre season with the first-team] (in Spanish). La Voz de Almería. 29 May 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  6. "Why I signed for Abia Warriors - Stanley Okoro". Daily Post. 9 April 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  7. "Plateau United sign Stanley Okoro and Emmanuel Odafe". Goal.com. 7 May 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  8. "'Little Messi' Stanley Okoro, 7 others fired by Plateau United". Score Nigeria. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  9. "Heartland Stars Stanley Okoro And Orji Kalu Rejoin Nigeria U17 Squad in Qatar". Goal.com. 7 October 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  10. "Honours even in Abuja thriller". FIFA. 24 October 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  11. "Steely Swiss claim first crown". FIFA.com. 15 November 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  12. "Stanley Okoro replaces Akpala for Madagascar". All Nigeria Soccer. 29 August 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  13. "Super Eagles too strong for Madagascar". SuperSport. 5 September 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  14. "Little Messi tag suits me – Okoro". NBF Topics. 30 April 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
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