The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA sent birthday greetings to former Super Eagles forward Osaze Odemwingie and ex-Super Falcons star Cynthia Uwak who clocked 39 and 34 years respectively, Completesports.com reports.
The football sent their birthday wishes via their verified Twitter handles.
Celebrating Odemwingie CAF wrote: “Nigeria’s Odemwingie turns 39 today!
“The striker played for the @NGSuperEagles over 60 times and in four editions of the #TotalAFCON.”
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And according to FIFA: “Happy birthday to @NGSuper_Falcons great & two-time @CAF_Online African Women’s Footballer of the Year Cynthia Uwak.”
Odemwingie grew up in Uzbekistan and
Russia and began his career with Bendel Insurance in the Nigeria league.
He moved to European football with Belgian side La Louvière where he spent three seasons winning the Belgian Cup before signing for French side Lille .
During his time at Lille Odemwingie scored 26 goals and played in the UEFA Champions League with the side, which prompted Lokomotiv Moscow to pay a fee of £10 million for his services in July 2007.
He scored 23 times in three-and-a-half years for Lokomotiv before leaving for English side West Bromwich Albion in August 2010.
At the Baggies he scored 30 Premier League goals which won him three Premier League Player of the Month awards.
He made his Super Eagles debut in 2002 made 63 appearances scored 10 goals before retiring from international football in 2014.
Also he featured in four AFCONs, was at two FIFA World Cups in 2010 and 2014 and helped Nigeria win silver in the football event of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
For Uwak she began her club career with Finnish women’s side KMF, and has spent the majority of her club career in Scandinavia with the exception of a stint in France and Germany.
She was part of the Olympique Lyonnais team that won the Division 1 Féminine title in France in 2009.
After moving to Finnish side Aland United , she won a further Naisten Liiga title in 2013, and was the top goal scorer in the division.
She made her Falcons debut in 2004 and win two Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (2004 and 2006).
Also she was a member of the Falcons that competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup and was crowned CAF Women’s Player of the Year in 2006 and 2007.
By James Agberebi
