Aliyu Okechukwu (born September 5, 1995) is a Nigerian

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 lea ...

who plays as an

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

for Primorac Biograd in Croatia.

Club career

Rijeka

Okechukwu was one of several players who moved from the

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

n Abuja Football College Academy to the HNK Rijeka Academy in 2013. Following his arrival to Rijeka, in mid-2013, he picked up the most valuable player award at the 61st international

Kvarnerska Rivijera Kvarnerska Rivijera is one of the oldest youth football tournaments in the world, first played in 1953. The tournament is organised by HNK Rijeka, a Croatian football club, and attracts clubs from across Europe and other continents. It is held eac ...

tournament. In September 2013, Okechukwu signed a -year contract with

HNK Rijeka Hrvatski nogometni klub Rijeka (), commonly referred to as HNK Rijeka, is a Croatian professional association football club from the city of Rijeka. HNK Rijeka competes in Croatia's top division, Croatian First Football League, Supersport HNL, o ...

that ties him with the club until June 2016. During the same month, his leg was fractured during a youth tournament match in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

Pomorac (loan)

Following his recovery from injury, in early 2014, he was loaned to

NK Pomorac NK Pomorac 1921 is a Croatian football club based in Kostrena, a suburb of Rijeka which currently plays in Croatian third tier 3. HNL West. Kostrena is known for its maritime tradition, which is reflected in the club's name, as the word " pomo ...

2. HNL The Prva nogometna liga (), commonly Prva NL or 1. NL, is the second tier of the Croatian football league system, football league system in Croatia. The league was formed in 1991 with the breakup of Yugoslavia and the dissolution of the Yugoslav ...

together with his compatriot

Theophilus Solomon Theophilus Solomon (born 18 January 1996) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Kosovan club Vushtrria. Club career Rijeka Born in Kaduna, Solomon played at Eco Football Club of Lagos before joining Croatian side ...

. He made his professional début in a home draw against

NK Solin NK Solin is a Croatian football club based in the town of Solin, near Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, ...

on 2 April 2014. At Pomorac, he made eight appearances without finding the net.

Rijeka II

Following his return from loan in mid-2014, Okechukwu played for Rijeka II in 3. HNL, scoring two goals in 14 appearances.

Zadar (loan)

In January 2015, Okechukwu was loaned to Zadar until the end of the 2014–15 1. HNL season, where he once again joined Solomon. He made 9 appearances with the club before the end of his loan.

Šibenik (loan)

Following their spell with Zadar, in July 2015, Okechukwu and Solomon, joined by another Nigerian David Nwolokor, were sent on a season-long loan to

HNK Šibenik Hrvatski nogometni klub Šibenik (), better known as HNK Šibenik or simply Šibenik (), is a Croatian professional association football, football sports club, club based in Šibenik. It competes in the Croatian Football League, SuperSport HNL, t ...

. Okechukwu was a regular starter in the first half of the season. However, he sustained an injury during mid-season training and consequently missed the second half of the season.

RNK Split

In June 2016, Okechukwu was transferred to

RNK Split Radnički nogometni klub Split ("Workers' Football Club of Split") commonly known as RNK Split, is a Croatian professional football club based in the city of Split. History The club had a strong fanbase in the Split's shipyard. The club was fo ...

Istra 1961

Following a season with RNK Split, in July 2017, Okechukwu moved to

NK Istra 1961 Nogometni klub Istra 1961 (), commonly referred to as Istra 1961, is a Croatian professional football club based in Pula, that competes in the Croatian First League. It is a common opinion amongst many people that ''Istra 1961'' was founded i ...

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References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Okechukwu Aliyu 1995 births Living people Nigerian men's footballers Nigerian expatriate men's footballers Men's association football forwards HNK Rijeka players HNK Rijeka II players NK Pomorac 1921 players NK Zadar players HNK Šibenik players RNK Split players NK Istra 1961 players NK Rudeš players Croatian Football League players First Football League (Croatia) players Expatriate men's footballers in Croatia Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Croatia 21st-century Nigerian sportsmen