Richard Daddy Owubokiri (born 16 July 1961), commonly known as Ricky, 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 football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as a
striker.
Football career
Born in
Port Harcourt
Port Harcourt (Pidgin: ''Po-ta-kot or Pi-ta-kwa)'' is the capital and largest city of Rivers State in Nigeria. It is the fifth most populous city in Nigeria after Lagos, Kano, Ibadan and Benin. It lies along the Bonny River and is locate ...
,
Rivers State
Rivers is a states of Nigeria, state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed on 27 May 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Nigeria, Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include Imo State, Im ...
, Ricky started his career in his native country before playing four seasons in Brazil, where he played for
America Football Club (RJ) and
Esporte Clube Vitória
Esporte Clube Vitória () is a Brazilian professional club based in Salvador, Bahia, Salvador, Bahia founded on 13 May 1899. It competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, as well as in the Campeonato Baiano, the top flight of the Bahia St ...
, a club he would return to in 1994 in the
Brazilian Série A. He had a spell in France with
Stade Lavallois and
FC Metz
Football Club de Metz () is a Football in France, French association football club based in Metz, Lorraine. The club was formed in 1932 and plays in Ligue 1, the highest division in the French football league system, for the 2025–26 Ligue 1, ...
.
Ricky moved to Portugal to play for
S.L. Benfica, in December 1988, but appeared very rarely with the team in the 1988–89 season, scoring only six goals, all in the same
Portuguese Cup fixture against Atlético Riachense. He moved to
C.F. Estrela da Amadora, where he played in the 1989–90 and 1990–91 seasons, winning the Taça de Portugal in 1990. He then moved north to
Boavista FC, for the 1991–92 season. His impact was instant, helping the side
finish third in his first season with the addition of the Taça de Portugal, as the player netted 30 times in the
Primeira Liga
The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...
, being the top scorer.
Ricky retired in 1997 at the age of 36, after one-year stints with
C.F. Os Belenenses,
Al-Arabi Sports Club and
Al-Hilal FC
Al-Hilal Saudi Football Club (), simply known as Al-Hilal, is a professional multi-sports club based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Their Association football, football team competes in the Saudi Pro League. In Arabic, Al-Hilal means "the Crescent Mo ...
.
He had 23 caps for
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, ...
, scoring a single goal. Owubokiri was picked for the
1982 African Cup of Nations in Libya, but missed the
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States w ...
.
Career statistics
International goals
:Source:
1992 MATCHES AFRICA
/ref>
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ricky Owubokiri
1961 births
Living people
Footballers from Port Harcourt
Nigerian men's footballers
Men's association football forwards
Nigeria Professional Football League players
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players
Ligue 1 players
Saudi Pro League players
Sharks F.C. players
ACB Lagos F.C. players
America Football Club (Rio de Janeiro) players
Esporte Clube Vitória players
Stade Lavallois players
FC Metz players
Primeira Liga players
S.L. Benfica footballers
C.F. Estrela da Amadora players
Boavista F.C. players
C.F. Os Belenenses players
Qatar Stars League players
Al-Arabi SC (Qatar) players
Al-Hilal Saudi FC players
Nigeria men's international footballers
1982 African Cup of Nations players
Nigerian expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Brazil
Expatriate men's footballers in France
Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal
Expatriate men's footballers in Qatar
Expatriate men's footballers in Saudi Arabia
Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Brazil
Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in France
Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal
Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Qatar
Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia
20th-century Nigerian sportsmen