Peter Maduabuchi Utaka (born 12 February 1984) is a Nigerian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for

Ventforet Kofu is a Japanese football club from Kōfu in Yamanashi Prefecture. The team currently competes in the J2 League and play their home games in JIT Recycle Ink Stadium, located in Kōfu. The word "Ventforet" is a compound formed from two French roo ...

. He is the younger brother of fellow professional footballer

John Utaka John Chukwudi Utaka (born 8 January 1982) is a Nigerian former footballer who played as a striker and is currently a youth coach at Montpellier HSC. He is the older brother of fellow professional footballer Peter Utaka. Utaka has played for se ...

Club career

Early career

Born in

Enugu Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Énú ...

, Nigeria, Utaka moved to Croatia as a 16-year-old to play in Dinamo Zagreb after trying his luck at Ismaily where his older brother John was a cult figure. In 2003, he moved to Belgium from Dinamo and signed for

K. Patro Eisden Maasmechelen Koninklijke Patro Eisden Maasmechelen is a Belgium, Belgian football (soccer), football club from the municipality of Maasmechelen in Limburg (Belgium), Limburg. The original club name was ''V.V. Patro Eisden'' until 1992 when they changed to '' ...

of the 2nd division.

KVC Westerlo Koninklijke Voetbal Club Westerlo (; often simply called Westerlo) is a Belgium, Belgian professional Association football, football club located in the municipality of Westerlo in the province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp. Since Belgian First ...

moved to sign him the following season, and in his first season in the top flight and the transfer was worth €250,000.

Royal Antwerpen

Utaka joined

Royal Antwerp FC Royal Antwerp Football Club, often referred to as Royal Antwerp or simply Antwerp, is a Belgian football club based in the city of Antwerp. Founded around 1880 as ''Antwerp Cricket Club'' by English students residing in Antwerp, 15 years before ...

in January 2007 where he became a first team regular, and he helped Antwerp qualify for the playoffs, finishing second. He also emerged top scorer with 22 goals and capped hs glorious season, winning the Best Striker's Award. He also put more gloss on his breath-taking performance that season, claiming the Most Valuable Player's award over eight times, making him one of the most feared strikers in Belgium. On 30 August 2008, it was announced that Utaka would join Danish club OB. for an undisclosed fee.

Odense Boldklub

Utaka joined Danish side OB in 2008. In his first season, he finished joint fourth place on the scorers list, while he led all scorers in his second season. In the

2009–10 Danish Superliga The 2009–10 Danish Superliga season was the 20th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, which determinates the winners of the Danish football championship. It is governed by the Danish Football Association. The tournament started o ...

he finished with 18 goals in 33 matches, the first time in five years an OB player was top scorer in the league (last was

Steffen Højer Steffen Højer (born 22 May 1973) is a Danish professional football coach and former player, who is the head coach of the Danish national under-21 football team. Højer spent most of his career with Viborg FF, although he also played for a numb ...

in 2004-05 with 20 goals). Utaka stayed in OB for three and a half season winning three silver medals in his first three seasons in the

Danish Superliga The Danish Superliga ( da, Superligaen, ) is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each yea ...

. He also represented the club in both

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

and the 2011–12 Champions League qualifying phase scoring a total of nine goals in 22 European matches for the club.

Dalian Aerbin

In January 2012, Utaka moved to

Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Association Super League, commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the China Ping An Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional football in ...

club

Dalian Aerbin Dalian Professional Football Club () is a professional Chinese football club based in Dalian, Liaoning, that participates in the China Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). Their home stadium is Dalian Sports Ce ...

. He scored 20 goals in 28 games in his first season. He also scored 11 consecutive fixtures to establish a new C-league record.

Beijing Guoan

He transferred to

Beijing Guoan Beijing Guoan Football Club () is a professional football club that currently participates in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in the Chaoyang District in Beijing and their ho ...

on 9 July 2013 in a €2 million transfer which made him the most expensive international signing in the history of the club. He scored 15 goals in 36 appearances in all competitions for the club, before he was loaned to

Shanghai Shenxin Shanghai Shenxin Football Club () was a professional football club that participated in China's football league system between 2003 and 2019 under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team was based in Jinshan District, Shangha ...

during summer transfers in 2014, managing to score only four times in thirteen appearances in all competition for the Shanghai outfit.

Shimizu S-Pulse

In January 2015, Utaka transferred to

J1 League The , known as the for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the system. Founded in 1992, it is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football. Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the J ...

-club

Shimizu S-Pulse is a professional Japanese football club. Located in Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, S-Pulse currently competes in the J2 League (J2). The club was formed in 1991 as a founding member of the J.League (''"Original Ten"''), which began ...

. The club faced a difficult season that year as they were battling relegation. At the end of the season, Utaka scored nine goals in 29 appearances, and the club ended up being seventeenth-placed, thus relegated into the

J2 League The or simply J2 is the second division of the and the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The top tier is represented by the J1 League. It (along with the rest of the J.League) is currently sponsored by Meiji Yas ...

Sanfrecce Hiroshima

The next year he was loaned to J1 League defending champions

Sanfrecce Hiroshima Sanfrecce Hiroshima ( ja, サンフレッチェ広島, translit=''Sanfuretche Hiroshima'') is a Japanese professional football club based in Asaminami-ku, Hiroshima. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the coun ...

. He scored his first goal for the club in the

Japanese Super Cup The , known as the for sponsorship reasons, is an annual one-match association football competition in Japan organised by J. League and the Japan Football Association (JFA). This competition serves as the season opener and is played between the r ...

final, in a 3–1 win against

Gamba Osaka is a Japanese professional football club based in Suita, Osaka Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's name ''Gamba'' comes from the Japanese , meaning "to do your best" or "to st ...

. Utaka bagged his first goal in the J1 League on 12 March, scoring a 67th-minute penalty against

Shonan Bellmare is a Japanese professional football club based in Hiratsuka, in the west of Kanagawa Prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Their home stadium is Hiratsuka ...

in a 2–2 draw at home. He scored his next in a 5–1 away win against

Omiya Ardija is a professional association football club based in Ōmiya in Saitama, Japan. Its "hometown" as designated by the league is the whole of Saitama city, which is shared with neighbours Urawa Red Diamonds. Omiya competed in the J1 League follow ...

, scoring the opening in the 22nd minute.

FC Tokyo

After being bought by

, he was immediately loaned to

FC Tokyo Football Club Tokyo, commonly known as , is a Japanese professional football club based in Chōfu, Tokyo. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The team is one of only four in the J.League to be si ...

in March 2017. He scored four goals in his first three matches for the

-club even though he started all of the matches on the bench. He represented the club 33 times and scored ten goals before he returned to Sanfrecce Hiroshima and his contract expired.

Vejle Boldklub

In February 2018

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

Utaka trialled with Danish side

Vejle Boldklub Vejle Boldklub is a Danish professional football club based in Vejle in Jutland. Formed in 1891, the club is one of the most successful clubs in Danish football history, having won the Danish championship five times and the Danish cup title six t ...

in Turkey, where the club was on a training camp. Utakas agent Lucas Chang Jin is co-owner of Vejle Boldklub who at that time was number one in the Danish second tier. On 14 February 2018, the club announced thar Utaka had signed a contract until the summer of 2018.

Tokushima Vortis

Tokushima Vortis is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J2 League. The team is located in Tokushima, Tokushima Prefecture. Their home stadium is Naruto Otsuka Sports Park Pocari Sweat Stadium, in Naruto, Tokushima. The name, "Vortis ...

signed Nigerian striker, Peter Utaka for during mid 2018 season.

Ventforet Kofu

Utaka signed transfer to J2 club,

from 2019.

Kyoto Sanga

On 23 December 2019, Utaka announcement officially transfer to

Kyoto Sanga FC is a Japanese professional football club based in Kyoto. "Sanga" comes from the Sanskrit word ''sangha'', a term meaning "group" or "club" and often used to denote the Buddhist priesthood, associating the club with Kyoto's many Buddhist templ ...

from 2020. He was brought his club promotion to J1 League from 2022 after 12 years absence. He leave from the club after three years at Kyoto, cause his club safe relegation after winning play off J1 entry.

Return to Ventforet Kofu

On 30 December 2022, Utaka officially return to former club,

for upcoming 2023 season. Previously, he play at Kofu in 2018 for a season.

International career

On 21 September 2009, national coach

Shaibu Amodu Shuaibu Amodu (18 April 1958 – 10 June 2016) was a Nigerian football player and coach who played as a forward. Playing career Amodu, a striker, played for Dumez and Niger Tornadoes. His playing career ended after he broke his leg. Coachin ...

selected Utaka for the Nigeria national team. Utaka made his debut for Nigeria months later in a 5–2 home win over

Congo DR The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

on 3 March 2010, despite only getting his call up late after the NFF called his mother looking for him. He scored the first goal and assisted on the second. He scored twice against in a Nations Cup qualifier against

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. His first goal was the fastest goal in the qualifications-29secs.

Career statistics

Club

.Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社
"2017 J1&J2&J3選手名鑑 (NSK MOOK)"
8 February 2017, Japan, (p. 73 out of 289)

Honours

Sanfrecce Hiroshima *

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

Individual *

Belgian Second Division The Belgian Second Division (known as the Proximus League for sponsorship reasons) was the second-highest division in the Belgian football league system, one level below the Belgian Pro League. It was founded by the Royal Belgian Football Associa ...

top goalscorer: 2007–08 *

top goalscorer: 2009–10 *

Chinese FA Cup The Chinese FA Cup (, abbreviated as CFA Cup) is the national knockout cup competition in China organized by the Chinese Football Association. Its current holders are Shandong Taishan, having beaten Shanghai Port in 2021 for a record seventh titl ...

top goalscorer:

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

* J.League top goalscorer:

(2011)

References

External links

* * *
Career statistics
at

Danmarks Radio DR (), officially the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in English, is a Danish public-service radio and television broadcasting company. Founded in 1925 as a public-service organization, it is Denmark's oldest and largest electronic media enterp ...

Peter Utaka Career Statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Utaka, Peter 1984 births Living people Footballers from Enugu Association football forwards Nigerian footballers K. Patro Eisden Maasmechelen players GNK Dinamo Zagreb players K.V.C. Westerlo players Royal Antwerp F.C. players Odense Boldklub players Dalian Professional F.C. players Beijing Guoan F.C. players Shimizu S-Pulse players Sanfrecce Hiroshima players FC Tokyo players Tokushima Vortis players Vejle Boldklub players Ventforet Kofu players Kyoto Sanga FC players Belgian First Division A players Belgian First Division B players Danish Superliga players Chinese Super League players J1 League players J2 League players Nigerian expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Croatia Expatriate footballers in Belgium Expatriate footballers in Denmark Expatriate footballers in China Expatriate footballers in Japan Nigerian emigrants to Belgium Nigeria international footballers