Obiorah Emmanuel Odita (ⓘ; born 14 May 1983) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward. He also holds Serbian citizenship.

Career

Early years

Born in Enugu, Odita started out at his local club Rangers, before switching to Udoji United. He was acquired by First League of FR Yugoslavia side Javor Ivanjica during the 2003 winter transfer window. Until the end of the 2002–03 season, Odita scored one goal in nine league appearances, as the club suffered relegation to the Second League. He led them in scoring in the first half of the 2004–05 Second League of Serbia and Montenegro with 10 goals, attracting attention from bigger teams.

Partizan

In January 2005, Odita was officially transferred to Partizan, signing a four-year deal. He marked his competitive debut by scoring both of his team's goals in a 2–2 home draw with Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the first leg of the UEFA Cup round of 32, as the club went on to win the tie after a 1–0 away win in the return leg. With five league goals in the remainder of the 2004–05 season, Odita helped the side win the championship title with an unbeaten record. He opened the 2005–06 season by netting both goals in two 1–0 wins over Moldovan champions Sheriff Tiraspol in the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round. In January 2006, Odita was sent back to Javor Ivanjica on a six-month loan. He subsequently returned to Partizan for the 2006–07 season, forming an attacking partnership with Stevan Jovetić and becoming their joint top scorer in the league with 10 goals. In June 2007, Odita moved to the United Arab Emirates and signed a two-year contract with Al Ain.

Westerlo

In January 2008, Odita was loaned to Belgian club Westerlo. He scored twice in the second half of the 2007–08 season, before returning to Al Ain. In January 2009, Odita moved back to Belgium and signed a permanent contract with Westerlo.

Later years

In July 2010, Odita returned to Serbia by rejoining his former club Javor Ivanjica for the 2010–11 season. He later moved to China and signed with Tianjin TEDA in early 2011. Following a brief stint in Asia, Odita made another return to Javor Ivanjica ahead of the 2011–12 season.

In the summer of 2012, Odita moved to Kazakhstan and signed with Taraz, netting six times in the remainder of the 2012 Kazakhstan Premier League. He subsequently finished as the team's top scorer in the 2013 campaign with five goals. In September 2014, Odita returned to Serbia once again and joined Voždovac.

After spending two seasons with Voždovac, Odita switched to fellow Serbian SuperLiga side Mladost Lučani in June 2016. He spent five seasons with club, amassing 142 appearances and scoring 10 goals in the top flight. In June 2021, Odita rejoined Javor Ivanjica once more.

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[citation needed]
ClubSeasonLeagueCupContinentalTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Javor Ivanjica2002–03First League of Serbia and Montenegro9100—91
2003–04Second League of Serbia and Montenegro16500—165
2004–05Second League of Serbia and Montenegro181010—1910
Total431610—4416
Partizan2004–05First League of Serbia and Montenegro1251042177
2005–06First League of Serbia and Montenegro1312162214
2006–07Serbian SuperLiga231010623012
Total4816411666823
Javor Ivanjica (loan)2005–06First League of Serbia and Montenegro12500—125
Al Ain2007–08UAE Football League0000—00
2008–09UAE Football League0000—00
Total0000—00
Westerlo (loan)2007–08Belgian First Division9200—92
Westerlo2008–09Belgian First Division14300—143
2009–10Belgian First Division14011—151
Total28311—294
Javor Ivanjica2010–11Serbian SuperLiga15211—163
Tianjin TEDA2011Chinese Super League810060141
Javor Ivanjica2011–12Serbian SuperLiga23921—2510
Taraz2012Kazakhstan Premier League12600—126
2013Kazakhstan Premier League30540—345
Total421140—4611
Voždovac2014–15Serbian SuperLiga21530—245
2015–16Serbian SuperLiga32610—336
Total531140—5711
Mladost Lučani2016–17Serbian SuperLiga30410—314
2017–18Serbian SuperLiga2801010300
2018–19Serbian SuperLiga25320—273
2019–20Serbian SuperLiga24121—262
2020–21Serbian SuperLiga35211—363
Total14210721015012
Javor Ivanjica2021–22Serbian First League34721—368
Železničar Pančevo2022–23Serbian First League4000—40
FAP2022–23Serbian League West147——147
Srbija Ulm2023–24Landesliga Württemberg31——31
Tempo Frankfurt2024–25Gruppenliga247——247
2025–26Gruppenliga82——82
Total329——329
Career total510110267236559123

Honours

Partizan

Mladost Lučani

External links

  • at WorldFootball.net
  • –UEFAcompetition record ()