Celestine Echezona Anyichie (born 14 May 1990) 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 lea ...

who last played as a defender for George Telegraph in the

Calcutta Football League The Calcutta Football League (CFL) is a ladder-based football competition in the Indian state of West Bengal, organised by the Indian Football Association (WB) as part of the state leagues. It is the oldest football league in Asia. The CFL ...

Career

Finland

Eche had a trial in Finland for top tier Finnish club

HJK Helsinki Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi (), commonly known as HJK Helsinki (), or simply as HJK (), is a Finnish football club based in Helsinki. The club competes in Veikkausliiga, the top division of the Finnish football league system. Founded in 1907, the ...

, but failed to earn a contract. He then signed for another

Veikkausliiga Veikkausliiga () is a professional association football league in Finland and the highest level of the Finnish football league system. The league comprises the top 12 clubs of the country. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agenc ...

side

AC Oulu AC Oulu is a Finnish professional football club based in Oulu, currently playing in Finland's premier division, ''Veikkausliiga''. Formed in 2002, the club have played six seasons in Finland's highest football league Veikkausliiga and 16 seasons ...

Nigeria

After the stint in Finland he returned to Nigeria to play for Dolphins F.C. in the

Nigeria Premier League The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) (formerly the Nigeria Professional Football League) is the highest level of club football in Nigerian football league system. The Nigerian Premier League has suffered like many others, from the financ ...

Thailand

He had a brief spell in

Thailand Premier League The Thai League (, pronounced as ') or Thai League 1 (, pronounced as '), often referred to as T1, is the highest level of the Thai football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai L ...

for Samut Songkhram F.C.

India

Southern Samity Southern Samity is an Indian professional multi-sports club from Kolkata. Founded in 1945, the club is also based in Siliguri, North Bengal. Apart from sports, they are also involved in numerous cultural activities. Its football section compete ...

signed Echezona for the

2012 I-League 2nd Division The 2012 I-League 2nd Division was the fifth season of the then second tier of Football in India, using promotion and relegation with the I-League. Stadiums The 2012 I-League 2nd Division was played in 4 stadiums. Three of the stadiums were us ...

. Though his team failed to qualify his performance was appreciated, and thus

Mohun Bagan AC Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional multi-sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, it is one of the oldest multi-sports clubs in Asia. The club has various sports departments like association football, footb ...

signed him up on a 1-year contract for

2012–13 I-League The 2012–13 I-League was the sixth season of the I-League, the Indian professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 2007. The season began on 6 October 2012 and finished on 12 May 2013 with Churchill Brothers ...

. He has also played for

Chennai City Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian censu ...

during the 2016–17 I-League Season. In 2020–21, he appeared with

club

Bhawanipore Bhowanipore (also Bhowanipur; ) is a neighbourhood of South Kolkata in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. History In 1717, the East India Company obtained the right to rent from 38 villages surrounding their settlement from ...

International

He has represented Nigeria in the

2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship The 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship, was the tenth edition of FIFA U-17 World Cup, FIFA U-17 World Championship. It was held in the cities of Helsinki, Tampere, Lahti and Turku in Finland from 13 to 30 August 2003. Players born after 1 January 19 ...

. He started all the matches for his country in the group stages and played alongside the likes of

Mikel John Obi Mikel John Obi (born John Michael Nchekwube Obinna; 22 April 1987), also known as John Obi Mikel, is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Mikel began his career with local club Plateau United, before ...

and

Chinedu Obasi Chinedu Ogbuke "Edu" Obasi (born 1 June 1986) is a Nigerian former 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 footba ...

References

External links

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youtube.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anyichie, Echezona Nigerian men's footballers 1990 births Living people I-League players I-League 2 players Mohun Bagan Super Giant players Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in India Expatriate men's footballers in India Men's association football defenders George Telegraph SC players Calcutta Football League players Footballers from Lagos 21st-century Nigerian sportsmen Nigerian expatriate men's footballers