Francis Uzoho: All you need to know about the Super Eagles goalkeeper

All you need to know about Francis Uzoho

Francis Uzoho: All you need to know about the Super Eagles goalkeeper

Tunde Young 18:32 - 04.06.2023

All you need to know about Super Eagles goalkeeper Francis Uzoho including his profile, age, salary, net worth, girlfriend, house, cars, pictures, latest news and transfer news.

Super Eagles goalkeeper Francis Uzoho has been a consistent figure for both the Nigerian national team and his club side. Here is all you need to know him.

Who is Francis Uzoho

Francis Odinaka Uzoho is a Nigerian professional footballer born on October 28, 1998, in Nwagele, Imo State, an Eastern Region of Nigeria.

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Uzoho began pursuing a career in football as a 14-year-old, joining amateur side, Aspire Academy in 2013. 

He started his career as a forward but was deemed too slow and converted to a goalkeeper which turned out to be his true calling.

The teenager got an opportunity to play in Barcelona, Spain for a tournament in 2016 where he impressed and caught the eye of Deportivo La Coruna who signed him to their Juvenil team.

The club had to wait till he turned 18 to offer him a pro contract due to age restrictions and in January 2017 he put pen to paper and immediately started to train with the Depor first team.

Francis Uzoho started his professional career with Deportivo La Coruna in Spain
Francis Uzoho started his professional career with Deportivo La Coruna in Spain

Uzoho made his first team and La Liga debut on October 15, 2017, when he played for Deportivo in a 0–0 away draw against SD Eibar, making him the youngest-ever foreign goalkeeper to debut in La Liga at the age of 18 years and 352 days.

He was also the second-youngest player to appear in the league during the 2017/18 La Liga campaign at that point, only behind Moroccan Achraf Hakimi who played for Real Madrid.

Uzoho was highly rated by the club and committed him to a three-year contract extension and then loaned him to Spanish second division side, Elche for more game time.

The move did not pan out as expected as Uzoho spent time mostly on the bench and then followed with loan moves to Cyprus in the following two seasons with Anorthosis Famagusta and Omonia Nicosia.

He has also been a key figure for the Super Eagles of Nigeria, establishing himself as the first-choice goalkeeper for his country.

Super Eagles goalkeeper Francis Uzoho
Super Eagles goalkeeper Francis Uzoho

Francis Uzoho profile

Full Name: Francis Uzoho

Date Of Birth: October 28, 1998

Age: 24 years old (as of June 2023)

Nationality: Nigerian

State of Origin: Imo State

Place of Birth: Nwangele, Imo state, Nigeria

Religion: Christianity

Marital Status: Married

Wife: Soomie Uzoho

Height: 1.96m (6ft 4in)

Twitter: @Uzohof

Instagram: @Uzoho30

Francis Uzoho club career

As earlier mentioned, Uzoho started with the Aspire Academy and then signed his first professional contract with Spanish side Deportivo La Coruna but he only managed two appearances in three years.

He went on loan to Elche but only played eight games for the club and then to Anorthosis Famagusta where he only played three games.

One more loan to Omonia Nicosia followed in the 2019/20 season and Uzoho played five games after which he joined city rivals Apoel Nicosia on a permanent transfer in July 2020.

He joined Apoel on a three-year contract but was released at the end of the season after playing 25 games.

Francis Uzoho plays for Omonia Nicosia
Francis Uzoho plays for Omonia Nicosia

On the deadline of the 2021 summer transfer window, Uzoho joined Omonia Nicosia again, this time on a three-year deal and he continues to play there having made 44 appearances so far.

He was part of the Omonia squad that won consecutive Cyprus Cup trophies in 2022 and 2023 which are the only major trophies of his senior career.

Francis Uzoho Super Eagles career

Uzoho represented Nigeria under-17s as a 14-year-old at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. He never played but was an immediate backup to starting goalkeeper Dele Alampasu as the Golden Eaglets won the tournament.

In October 2017 Uzoho received his first call-up to the Nigerian senior squad and made his full international debut on November 14, replacing Daniel Akpeyi in a 4–2 friendly win against Argentina.

Nigerian goalkeeper Francis Uzoho
Nigerian goalkeeper Francis Uzoho

He was named in Nigeria's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and was the Super Eagle's first-choice goalkeeper, playing all three games against Croatia, Iceland and Argentina as Nigeria crashed out in the group stages.

He was also at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt where he only played one out of seven games which was the third-place match against Tunisia which Nigeria won to clinch the Bronze medal.

Just over two years later, Uzoho was at another AFCON, this time Cameroon 2021 and he only played one game as Nigeria got knocked out in the round of 16.

Francis Uzoho has played 29 games in total for the Super Eagles of Nigeria, conceding 29 goals and keeping 11 clean sheets.

Francis Uzoho state of origin

People often ask what state is Francis Uzoho from? The Nigerian shot-stopper hails from Nwagele, Imo state where he was born and bred according to his Wikipedia page.

How old is Francis Uzoho?

When the goalkeeper first burst into the limelight in 2018 as a 19-year-old, questions were raised about Francis Uzoho’s real age due to his mature appearance. 

Francis Uzoho in action for Nigeria
Francis Uzoho in action for Nigeria

Uzoho is currently 24 years old and will turn 25 on October 28, 2023.

Francis Uzoho salary

Francis Uzoho reportedly earns an annual salary of $283,757 with his current club, Omonia Nicosia which breaks down to $23,646 monthly and $5,456 weekly in Cyprus.

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The goalkeeper is also reportedly paid a salary of $4500 for every Super Eagles appearance by the Nigeria Football Federation.

Francis Uzoho networth

It is hard to accurately state Francis Uzoho’s net worth as he has never publicly declared his assets but it is estimated to be about half a million dollars. 

Despite this, details of Francis Uzoho’s houses and cars are unknown as he has not revealed any of his properties.

Francis Uzoho family

Francis Uzoho is a husband and a father having married his longtime girlfriend Soomie in Owerri in December 2018. The ceremony attracted lots of attention and drew more questions about Francis who was only 20 years old at the time.

The couple have been blessed with a son who was born in January 2020. Since becoming a father, the Super Eagles' first-choice goalkeeper melts the hearts of his fans with photos and videos of his family. 

Francis Uzoho social media

The Omonia Nicosia shot-stopper is on Instagram @Uzoho30 where he has 135,000 followers and has posted 131 times. 

His page is full of pictures and videos of himself on the pitch or spending time with his family, especially his infant son.

Uzoho’s Twitter handle is @Uzohof where he has 45.3k followers and has tweeted 200 times.

Is Francis Uzoho on FIFA 23?

Yes, Francis Uzoho is on FIFA 23 with an overall rating of 69 and a potential rating of 75.

Francis Uzoho latest news