Nwankwo Kanu
Attack - Centre-Forward
at Retired
👕500+ Apps
⚽100+ Goals
🎯50+ Assists
🏴50+ Caps
⏳Veteran
Market value
—
Rating · 99/00
10.0
World class
Centre-Forward Attack
Career snapshot
6
clubs played for
00/01
debut season
0.21
goals / match
Arsenal FC
top club · 197 apps
Position rank · 99/00
#55
goals rank
#5
assists rank
109
season goals
70
season assists
Among 520 Attack - Centre-Forwards · ≥200 mins
Career highs
€7.00m
peak value · 2004
€6.25m
top transfer fee · 98/99
17
best season · 99/00
99 / 21
int'l caps / goals
516Appearances
109Goals
70Assists
15Yellow cards
0Red cards
106Full matches (90′)
| Full name | Nwankwo Kanu |
|---|---|
| Name in home country | Nwankwo Christian Nwosu Kanu |
| Date of birth | 1976-08-01 (49 yrs) |
| Place of birth | Owerri, Nigeria |
| Citizenship |  Nigeria |
| Position | Attack - Centre-Forward (main: Attack) |
| Foot | right |
| Height | 197.00 m |
| Current club | Retired |
| Joined | 2012-07-01 |
| Contract expires | — |
Jul 2012
Transfer: Portsmouth → Retired
12/13 · Transfer
Jul 2011
11/12 — Portsmouth FC
11 matches · 1 G · 0 A · across 2 competitions
Jul 2010
10/11 — Portsmouth FC
34 matches · 2 G · 6 A · across 3 competitions
Jul 2009
09/10 — Portsmouth FC
28 matches · 4 G · 2 A · across 3 competitions
Aug 2008
Injury: unknown
12 games missed
Jul 2008
08/09 — Portsmouth FC
25 matches · 2 G · 1 A · across 4 competitions
Jul 2007
07/08 — Portsmouth FC
30 matches · 7 G · 3 A · across 3 competitions
Jul 2006
06/07 — Portsmouth FC
38 matches · 12 G · 2 A · across 3 competitions
Jul 2006
Transfer: West Brom → Portsmouth
06/07 · Transfer
Jul 2005
05/06 — West Bromwich Albion
28 matches · 6 G · 3 A · across 3 competitions
Jul 2004
Transfer: Arsenal → West Brom
04/05 · Transfer
Jul 2004
04/05 — West Bromwich Albion
29 matches · 3 G · 1 A · across 2 competitions
Jul 2003
03/04 — Arsenal FC
24 matches · 3 G · 6 A · across 4 competitions
Jul 2002
02/03 — Arsenal FC
26 matches · 6 G · 5 A · across 4 competitions
Jul 2001
01/02 — Arsenal FC
39 matches · 6 G · 4 A · across 4 competitions
Jul 2000
00/01 — Arsenal FC
42 matches · 5 G · 7 A · across 3 competitions
Jul 1999
99/00 — Arsenal FC
50 matches · 17 G · 13 A · across 6 competitions
Jan 1999
Transfer: Inter → Arsenal
98/99 · Transfer · €6.25m
Sep 1998
Injury: unknown
12 games missed
Jul 1998
98/99 — Arsenal FC, Inter Milan
18 matches · 7 G · 2 A · across 4 competitions
Jul 1997
Injury: unknown
37 games missed
Jul 1997
97/98 — Inter Milan
18 matches · 1 G · 0 A · across 3 competitions
Aug 1996
Injury: unknown
60 games missed
Aug 1996
Transfer: Ajax → Inter
96/97 · Transfer · €3.93m
Jul 1995
1995 — Ajax Amsterdam
1 matches · 0 G · 0 A · across 1 competition
Jul 1995
95/96 — Ajax Amsterdam
41 matches · 13 G · 13 A · across 4 competitions
Jul 1994
94/95 — Ajax Amsterdam, Ajax Amsterdam U21
27 matches · 12 G · 2 A · across 3 competitions
Jul 1993
93/94 — Ajax Amsterdam
7 matches · 2 G · 0 A · across 3 competitions
Jul 1993
Transfer: Iwuanyanwu Nat'l → Ajax
93/94 · Transfer · €200k
Jul 1992
Transfer: I. Nationale Yth → Iwuanyanwu Nat'l
92/93 · Transfer
Jan 1970
Peak market value: €7.00m
Highest valuation recorded in dataset
Percentile rank vs 161 other Attack - Centre-Forwards with ≥500 minutes in 99/00. Higher = better (except cards, where lower = better — inverted automatically).
Goals17 total · 1.54/90
Assists13 total · 1.18/90
G+A30 total · 2.72/90
Yellow cards3 total · 0.27/90
Minutes played by club
Arsenal FC
39.0%
Inter Milan
3.6%
Ajax Amsterdam
9.2%
Ajax Amsterdam U21
0.0%
Portsmouth FC
32.0%
West Bromwich Albion
16.2%
| Club | Seasons | First | Last | Matches | Goals | Assists | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal FC | 6 | 00/01 | 99/00 | 197 | 44 | 37 | 3,721 |
| Inter Milan | 2 | 97/98 | 98/99 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 347 |
| Ajax Amsterdam | 4 | 1995 | 95/96 | 75 | 27 | 15 | 874 |
| Ajax Amsterdam U21 | 1 | 94/95 | 94/95 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Portsmouth FC | 6 | 06/07 | 11/12 | 166 | 28 | 14 | 3,047 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 2 | 04/05 | 05/06 | 57 | 9 | 4 | 1,543 |
Career trajectory — goals, assists & market value
Goals by season
Assists by season
| Season | Competition | Club | Matches | Goals | Assists | YC | RC | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99/00 | Champions League | Arsenal FC | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 395 |
| 99/00 | Charity Shield | Arsenal FC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 90 |
| 99/00 | FA Cup | Arsenal FC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 99/00 | League Cup | Arsenal FC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68 |
| 99/00 | Premier League | Arsenal FC | 31 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 180 |
| 99/00 | UEFA Cup | Arsenal FC | 9 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 258 |
| 98/99 | FA Cup | Arsenal FC | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 81 |
| 98/99 | Italy Cup | Inter Milan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 98/99 | Premier League | Arsenal FC | 12 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 90 |
| 98/99 | Serie A | Inter Milan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 97/98 | Italy Cup | Inter Milan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 97/98 | Serie A | Inter Milan | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 347 |
| 97/98 | UEFA Cup | Inter Milan | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 95/96 | Champions League | Ajax Amsterdam | 9 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 95/96 | Johan Cruijff Schaal | Ajax Amsterdam | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 95/96 | PTT Telecomp. | Ajax Amsterdam | 30 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 148 |
| 95/96 | UEFA Super Cup | Ajax Amsterdam | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 94/95 | Champions League | Ajax Amsterdam | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 348 |
| 94/95 | KNVB Beker | Ajax Amsterdam U21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 94/95 | KNVB Beker | Ajax Amsterdam | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 90 |
| 94/95 | PTT Telecomp. | Ajax Amsterdam | 18 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 116 |
| 93/94 | Cup Winners' Cup | Ajax Amsterdam | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 93/94 | KNVB Beker | Ajax Amsterdam | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 93/94 | PTT Telecomp. | Ajax Amsterdam | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 172 |
| 1995 | Intercontinental Cup | Ajax Amsterdam | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 11/12 | Championship | Portsmouth FC | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 379 |
| 11/12 | League Cup | Portsmouth FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10/11 | Championship | Portsmouth FC | 32 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 692 |
| 10/11 | FA Cup | Portsmouth FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10/11 | League Cup | Portsmouth FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 09/10 | FA Cup | Portsmouth FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 09/10 | League Cup | Portsmouth FC | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 |
| 09/10 | Premier League | Portsmouth FC | 23 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 414 |
| 08/09 | FA Cup | Portsmouth FC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 08/09 | League Cup | Portsmouth FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 08/09 | Premier League | Portsmouth FC | 17 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 439 |
| 08/09 | UEFA Cup | Portsmouth FC | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 213 |
| 07/08 | FA Cup | Portsmouth FC | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 201 |
| 07/08 | League Cup | Portsmouth FC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 07/08 | Premier League | Portsmouth FC | 24 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 337 |
| 06/07 | FA Cup | Portsmouth FC | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 |
| 06/07 | League Cup | Portsmouth FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 06/07 | Premier League | Portsmouth FC | 36 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 273 |
| 05/06 | FA Cup | West Bromwich Albion | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 05/06 | League Cup | West Bromwich Albion | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 121 |
| 05/06 | Premier League | West Bromwich Albion | 25 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 320 |
| 04/05 | FA Cup | West Bromwich Albion | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 141 |
| 04/05 | Premier League | West Bromwich Albion | 27 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 961 |
| 03/04 | Champions League | Arsenal FC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 03/04 | FA Cup | Arsenal FC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 03/04 | League Cup | Arsenal FC | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 195 |
| 03/04 | Premier League | Arsenal FC | 10 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 429 |
| 02/03 | Champions League | Arsenal FC | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 219 |
| 02/03 | FA Cup | Arsenal FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 02/03 | League Cup | Arsenal FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 02/03 | Premier League | Arsenal FC | 16 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 171 |
| 01/02 | Champions League | Arsenal FC | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 01/02 | FA Cup | Arsenal FC | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 129 |
| 01/02 | League Cup | Arsenal FC | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 180 |
| 01/02 | Premier League | Arsenal FC | 23 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 308 |
| 00/01 | Champions League | Arsenal FC | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 485 |
| 00/01 | FA Cup | Arsenal FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 00/01 | Premier League | Arsenal FC | 27 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 443 |
| Season | Date | From | To | Type | Market value | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 92/93 | 1992-07-01 | I. Nationale Yth | Iwuanyanwu Nat'l | Transfer | 0 | — |
| 93/94 | 1993-07-01 | Iwuanyanwu Nat'l | Ajax | Transfer | 0 | €200k |
| 96/97 | 1996-08-16 | Ajax | Inter | Transfer | 0 | €3.93m |
| 98/99 | 1999-01-01 | Inter | Arsenal | Transfer | 0 | €6.25m |
| 04/05 | 2004-07-30 | Arsenal | West Brom | Transfer | 0 | — |
| 06/07 | 2006-07-01 | West Brom | Portsmouth | Transfer | 3000000 | — |
| 12/13 | 2012-07-01 | Portsmouth | Retired | Transfer | 250000 | — |
| Season | Injury | From | To | Days missed | Games missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 96/97 | heart problems | 1996-08-27 | 1997-07-27 | 335 | 60 |
| 97/98 | Fitness | 1997-07-27 | 1998-02-08 | 197 | 37 |
| 98/99 | Knee problems | 1998-09-11 | 1998-10-28 | 48 | 12 |
| 08/09 | Ankle injury | 2008-08-01 | 2008-09-17 | 48 | 12 |
Current€250k
Peak€7.00m
Low—
Δ since start−€6.75m
| Date | Value |
|---|---|
| Jan 1, 1970 | €250k |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €250k |
| Jan 1, 1970 | — |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €750k |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €1.50m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €2.50m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €2.00m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €4.00m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €5.00m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €6.20m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €6.00m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €3.00m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €3.50m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €4.00m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €7.00m |
| Team | Shirt | Matches | Goals | Debut | Age at debut | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team #53810 | — | 6 | 3 | — | — | former national player |
| Team #23135 | — | 6 | 5 | — | — | former national player |
| Team #3444 | — | 87 | 13 | — | — | former national player |
No teammate data.
Single-season peaks across competitions in this player's career.
Top goalscoring seasons
| Season | Competition | Club | Goals | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95/96 | PTT Telecomp. | Ajax Amsterdam | 13 | 30 |
| 99/00 | Premier League | Arsenal FC | 12 | 31 |
| 06/07 | Premier League | Portsmouth FC | 10 | 36 |
Top assist seasons
| Season | Competition | Club | Assists | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95/96 | PTT Telecomp. | Ajax Amsterdam | 7 | 30 |
| 10/11 | Championship | Portsmouth FC | 6 | 32 |
| 00/01 | Premier League | Arsenal FC | 5 | 27 |
Teams faced most often by Nwankwo Kanu's clubs during seasons he played in those competitions (team-level results, not personal head-to-head goals — see disclaimer above).
| Opponent | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tottenham Hotspur | 50 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 79 | 74 | +5 | 32% |
| Manchester United | 50 | 10 | 9 | 31 | 41 | 102 | -61 | 20% |
| Chelsea FC | 50 | 9 | 10 | 31 | 39 | 98 | -59 | 18% |
| Everton FC | 50 | 24 | 6 | 20 | 78 | 54 | +24 | 48% |
| Liverpool FC | 50 | 15 | 12 | 23 | 53 | 87 | -34 | 30% |
| Aston Villa | 50 | 20 | 16 | 14 | 69 | 51 | +18 | 40% |
| Bolton Wanderers | 48 | 19 | 17 | 12 | 69 | 53 | +16 | 40% |
| Fulham FC | 48 | 22 | 12 | 14 | 67 | 52 | +15 | 46% |
| Manchester City | 48 | 23 | 9 | 16 | 67 | 59 | +8 | 48% |
| Newcastle United | 48 | 15 | 19 | 14 | 63 | 60 | +3 | 31% |
| Blackburn Rovers | 48 | 21 | 10 | 17 | 82 | 58 | +24 | 44% |
| Middlesbrough FC | 44 | 21 | 13 | 10 | 77 | 45 | +32 | 48% |
Auto-detected milestones based on cumulative career totals.
| Season / Year | Milestone | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 00/01 | Senior debut season | |
| 00/01 | First senior goal | |
| 08/09 | Goal #50 (career) | |
| 99/00 | Goal #100 (career) |
Yellow / second-yellow / red cards per season. Only seasons with at least one card are shown.
| Season | Matches | Mins | YC | 2nd YC | RC | Cards / 90′ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99/00 | 50 | 991 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.27 |
| 1995 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 08/09 | 25 | 652 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.14 |
| 07/08 | 30 | 553 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.16 |
| 06/07 | 38 | 310 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.87 |
| 04/05 | 29 | 1,102 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.16 |
| 01/02 | 39 | 617 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.44 |
| 00/01 | 42 | 928 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 |
Output by competition
Career goals and assists broken down by tournament.
Premier League
271 apps
54 G
32 A
PTT Telecomp.
54 apps
25 G
7 A
League Cup
18 apps
8 G
4 A
FA Cup
30 apps
8 G
2 A
Champions League
60 apps
5 G
13 A
Championship
42 apps
3 G
6 A
UEFA Cup
19 apps
3 G
4 A
Charity Shield
1 apps
1 G
0 A
Serie A
12 apps
1 G
0 A
KNVB Beker
3 apps
1 G
0 A
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Frequently asked about Nwankwo Kanu
Who is Nwankwo Kanu?
Nwankwo Kanu is a Nigeria professional footballer who plays as a centre-forward for Retired.
How old is Nwankwo Kanu?
Nwankwo Kanu is 49 years old. He was born on August 1, 1976 in Owerri.
What position does Nwankwo Kanu play?
Nwankwo Kanu plays as a centre-forward (Attack - Centre-Forward).
What club does Nwankwo Kanu play for?
Nwankwo Kanu currently plays for Retired.
How many career goals has Nwankwo Kanu scored?
Across all senior club competitions in our dataset, Nwankwo Kanu has scored 109 goals in 516 appearances.