Odion Jude Ighalo was born on June 16th, 1989, in Ekpoma, Nigeria, but grew up in Ajegunle. As of today, he is 36 years old. While Lagos is where he spent his early life, his family comes from Ekpoma in Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State.
Life in Ajegunle was hard, and his family didn’t have money. His father, Paul Ighalo, was always out of job. He initially disapproved of Odion playing football, sometimes punishing him for skipping school to play. Odion had to sell items on the streets to help the family and often played football without boots. Paul, however, passed away in 2016 and was buried in his village in Edo State.
Odion’s mother, Martina Ighalo, sold drinks and water to make money. She used that money to help Odion play football. She bought his boots, paid for him to go to matches, and made sure he could play even when his dad said no. Odion says he owes his football fame today to his mum.
Odion has brothers called Daniel, Austin, and Moses, and sisters named Mary, Beatrice, and his twin, Akhere. Sadly, Mary died in Canada on December 12, 2019. Akhere lives outside Nigeria.
Football Career
Odion started playing football for clubs in Nigeria, like Prime FC and Julius Berger FC. Then, a football agent named Marcelo Houseman saw him and helped him get a chance to try out for a team in Norway called Lyn in 2007.
When Odion was 18, in 2007, he went to play for Lyn in Norway. He scored a goal in his very first game, and his team won 2–0.
The next year, 2008, he moved to Italy to play for Udinese, but he didn’t get to play much—only four games—and scored just one goal. To get more chances to play, he went on loan in Spain to play for Granada FC.
Udinese and Granada
In 2008, Ighalo joined Udinese. He didn’t get to play much in Italy, so he was loaned out to play for Granada.
At Granada, he helped the team move up to the top Spanish league.
He also played for another Italian team, Cesena, for a short time during this period.
Watford
Ighalo joined English club Watford on loan in 2014 before making the move permanent later that year.
He helped in Watford’s promotion to the Premier League and quickly became one of the team’s most important players.
He spent almost four years in England scoring 37 league goals in 90 appearances.
Changchun Yatai and Shanghai Shenhua
In January 2017, Ighalo moved to Chinese club Changchun Yatai for £20 million. Despite the team’s relegation, he was among the league’s top scorers.
In 2019, he joined Shanghai Shenhua after turning down a move to Barcelona.
Loan to Manchester United
In January 2020, Ighalo signed for Manchester United on loan from Shanghai Shenhua.
He scored on his full debut for the club in a 5-0 win over Club Brugge. His beautiful goal against LASK was also voted goal of the month for March that year.
His loan was supposed to expire at the end of May but United agreed to extend it until January 2021, after which he left the club.
Al Shabab, Al-Hilal, and Al-Wehda
Odion Ighalo joined Al Shabab in 2021 and scored 11 goals in 15 games. Then he moved to Al-Hilal in 2022 and scored the most goals in the league that season, 24 in total.
In 2023, he went to Al-Wehda on a free transfer. He last played for Al-Wehda in Saudi Arabia, but his contract ended in 2025.
Right now, he doesn’t belong to any club, but he is still playing football professionally.
Super Eagles Career
Ighalo made his debut for Nigeria in March 2015 against Uganda. He was in the Super Eagles squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and was the top scorer during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
He scored five goals for the Nigerian team that finished third in the 2019 AFCON, winning the Golden Boot and earning a place in the Team of the Tournament.
Honours
2014–2017: Watford (England)
During his time at Watford, Ighalo helped the team achieve Football League Championship runner-up status in the 2014–15 season, securing promotion to the Premier League.
2017–2019: Changchun Yatai / Shanghai Shenhua (China)
While playing in China, he lifted the Chinese FA Cup with Shanghai Shenhua in 2019.
2020–2023: Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
At Al-Hilal, Ighalo added several major honours to his career: he was part of the squad that won the Saudi Pro League in the 2021–22 season, claimed the King Cup in 2022–23, finished as AFC Champions League Runner-up in 2022, and was also FIFA Club World Cup Runner-up the same year.
International Honours (Nigeria)
Representing Nigeria, Ighalo contributed to the national team’s success, helping them secure third place at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 2019.
Individual Awards
- Premier League Player of the Month: December 2015 (Watford)
- AFCON Golden Boot (Top Scorer): 2019, scoring 5 goals
- AFCON Team of the Tournament: 2019
- Saudi Pro League Player of the Month: April & May 2021, March 2022
- Saudi Pro League Top Scorer: 2021–22 season
- Saudi Pro League Team of the Year: 2021–22, 2022–23
Odion Ighalo Net Worth
Odion Ighalo is one of the richest Nigerian footballers. His net worth includes not just his salary, but also money from ads, businesses, property, cars, and other stuff he owns. Taxes and fees take some away, so it’s never exact, but we know he’s very wealthy.
In 2022, some said he had about 5.56 million US dollars, while others said as much as 30 million dollars. In Naira, that’s about 14.6 billion.
By 2024, estimates put him at 40 million euros, or about 23.6 billion Naira.
In 2025, his net worth is thought to be around 38–43 million dollars, or 38 million euros.
Odion Ighalo Salary & Earnings
Odion Ighalo has earned very different salaries depending on where he played. In 2024, at Al‑Wehda in Saudi Arabia, he earns about £57,000 per week, which is roughly £2,964,000 per year.
Before that, at Al‑Hilal, also in Saudi Arabia, he reportedly earned around £74,000 per week, though some sources suggest £83,000. One report listed £148,000 per week in 2023, but that seems unlikely.
In China at Shanghai Shenhua, the club offered him up to £400,000 per week in 2020, though it’s unclear if he actually received that full amount. During his loan to Manchester United in 2020, his salary was about £130,000 per week, with some reports indicating the club paid £100,000 while the Chinese parent club covered the rest.
His highest reported wage was in China, followed by Manchester United, then Al‑Hilal, and finally Al‑Wehda.
Wife & Children
Odion Ighalo married Sonia Adesuwa in 2009. Over time, their marriage ran into trouble. By 2019, reports surfaced that things were not going well between them. In March 2020, Sonia changed her social media name back to her maiden name, “Adesuwa,” and altered her Instagram handle, which led many to assume the marriage had broken down. At that time, she denied divorce rumours, saying they were still legally and traditionally married.
Later reports, however, claimed their marriage had “crashed,” with allegations that Odion had been unfaithful. In June 2021, Sonia accused Odion of fathering children outside their marriage, claiming he had two additional children through “baby mamas.” Despite the marital problems, Odion gave their three children gifts for Christmas that year. Their children, two sons and a daughter, are reportedly named Samuel, Daniel, and Bernice. Sonia claimed they had separated in 2019 but reconciled briefly in 2021.
On June 10, 2022, she said she divorced Odion at the Family Court in London without his signature. Since then, she has referred to herself as his “ex-wife” and shared that she has found love again with someone she described as “a lawmaker.” As of April 2025, Odion is considered single, with no evidence that he has remarried. Sonia posts on her Instagram about her feelings, their past, and her new partner, describing him as “her husband period.” Sometimes she praises Odion as a father and other times asks for her bride price back.
Houses, Cars & Lifestyle
Odion Ighalo has a mansion in Lekki, Lagos, often called the “Ighalo Residence.” He officially opened it in December 2018. The “multi‑million naira” house has a swimming pool, a football field, a gaming room, and a gym. People say it’s worth millions of naira, but no one knows the exact price. Some reports said it was worth N16 billion, while newer estimates say about €38 million ($43 million).
He might have owned homes in England or Europe when he played football there, but there’s no proof he still has them.
Ighalo also does charity work, like the orphanage he built in Ijegun, Lagos.
Ighalo’s collection of expensive cars includes a white Range Rover Velar, a Mercedes G-Wagon, and a black Rolls-Royce Cullinan worth over ₦300 million. He used to own a Bentley worth about ₦45 million. Some reports also mention a BMW SUV, but that’s not confirmed. Altogether, his cars are worth hundreds of millions of naira.
Social Media
Odion Ighalo has an Instagram account called @ighalojude, and lots of people follow him—over 1.2 million! On Instagram, he shares pictures and videos about his life, his family, fancy things he owns.
But once, in 2019, he got hurt while playing for Nigeria and instead of resting, he posted vacation photos. His football club didn’t like that and punished him for it.
