Mikel Obi, Osaze Odemwingie and 4 Other Nigerian Footballers Who Fell in Love with Oyinbo Women
- Thanks to their remarkable skills on the pitch, some Nigerian football stars saw their career take them beyond the country's shore
- Aside from their football prowess, some went as far as winning the hearts of beautiful Oyinbo women who became their wives
- Seyi Oyebode, a football coach, in a chat with Legit.ng, explained why some Nigerian footballers prefer to settle down with Oyinbo women
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Several Nigerian footballers made a name for themselves beyond the country's shore. Many exhibited their skills in popular football leagues, from the English Premier League to the Spanish La Liga, Bundesliga, and even the Chinese Super Cup.
While pursuing their careers in foreign countries, some of them went on to find love with pretty white women called ‘Oyibo women’ in Nigeria, bringing two different cultures together to start a family.
Source: Instagram
However, one noticeable fact among many of these footballers who married Oyinbo women is that most stay overseas, unlike some of their peers who return home to settle down.
In this article, Legit.ng lists popular Nigerian football stars -- 'active and retired' -- who started a family with Oyinbo women.
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1. Mikel Obi and his Russian partner
While it is unknown if the former Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi and his Russian partner Olga Diyachenko are married, the duo made headlines in 2017 when they marked their 5th anniversary.
Mikel and Olga, who have been together since 2013 when they made their relationship public, have been blessed with twin daughters, Mia and Ava, born in September 2016.
The former Nigeria international is popular for showing off his beautiful family on social media at every opportunity.
2. Obafemi Martins married his Italian colleague's sister
Former football star Obafemi Martins, also known as Obagoal, is married to a Ghanaian-Italian, Abigail Barwuah, who is sister to Mario Balotelli.
The two were said to have been dating since 2012, and their union is blessed with two children.
In 2022, Obafemi warmed hearts after he shared a sweet video of him and Abigail on a motorbike cruise in Nigeria as they vibe to a song by Burna Boy.
3. Osaze Odemwingie found love with an English woman
Former West Brom forward Osaze Odemwingie married Sarah Fallon in May 2012 in Northampton. They have three children, two boys and a girl together.
Odemwingie was said to have won Sarah's heart when they met at a local bar in 2010.
The ex-Super Eagles star was in the news in 2020 after he accused his colleague Kanu Nwankwo's wife, Amara, of harassing him with unsolicited messages in his inbox.
4. Sunday Oliseh married a Belgian woman
Former Nigerian football star Sunday Oliseh is known for keeping a private lifestyle as there are no details on when he married his wife, Hafidah, who is half Moroccan and Belgian.
It is believed they got married after the 1994 FIFA World Cup, as different pictures from the big day later surfaced online.
Their union is blessed with two children.
5. John Utaka married in France
Like Olise, the former forward kept his personal life away from the media.
However, he made headlines in 2013 when he married an unidentified Oyinbo woman in France at a private wedding.
The news of his wedding was made public by his colleague Kanu Nwankwo on Twitter.
6. Victor Osimhen and his German lover
The Napoli forward is the only active player on this list. He is in a relationship with a German lady, Stefanie Kim Ladewig.
Like a few others on this list, Osimhen keeps his personal life private; there are no details on whether he and Stefanie are married.
However, their union is blessed with a beautiful daughter, Hailey.
Why Nigerian footballers prefer to marry Oyinbo women
Seyi Oyebode, a football coach at Dynaspro Sports Academy, revealed that some Nigerian footballers go for Oyinbo women because of the security and peace that comes with such unions.
He said:
"It is all about security, in the Western world, marriage is more of an agreement, yet the system protects women than men, but let us look beyond that.
We have some Nigerian footballers like Ahmed Musa who married a Nigerian, he was in Leicester City when they had the issue, maybe there were some basic demands or problems. There is also the family background, a rich man in the midst of the poor is also poor. They look at this kind of pressure and all. Things like this do not happen in the Western world, nobody looks at you everybody focuses on their perspectives.
The footballers find genuine love abroad. Many of these Oyinbo women are not after their money, although we have some of them who are golddiggers, but it depends on what they want to get, it is not like I am supporting them.
They get peace of mind, look at Mikel, he married an Oyinbo woman, and he has never engaged himself in any scandal, he has been managing that all these years.
The likes of Osimhen are following suit because they don't want issues with Nigerian ladies. At their level, they can no longer find true love anymore. Nigerian ladies would do anything to get to them, the Oyinbo women look for who they love instead."
Pastor Remote reacts as Napoli trolls Osimhen
Earlier, Legit.ng had reported how Pastor Remote joined other Nigerians to express their disappointment at Napoli for trolling Victor Osimhen on their TikTok account.
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The Serie A champions had shared a video mocking Osimhen for missing a penalty during their match against Bologna, which ended in a goalless draw.
Remote, in a comment on Osimhen's page, wrote:
"God can actually pun!sh the whole Napoli sha."
Source: Legit.ng
