In football, everything moves quickly and things can change just as quickly. This is true both on and off the field. This is probably what Uzuegbunam, the rising Shenzhen FC forward, has been thinking since the start of the 2020 season on July 25.

Disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have plagued the entire football industry since the start of the year. But player morale improved with the smooth launch of the 2020 Super League championship, which has gradually gained momentum.

Tough season

For Uzuegbunam, September 4, was not an easy day. In the ninth round of the Chinese Super League championship, he was annoyed by the strong defensive wall of Shanghai Greenland Shenhua FC, frustrated and unable to find a way to get past them and win the match. He committed a number of fouls before receiving a red card. Uzuegbunam had to be taken off for a few games, leaving his team in an awkward position. At the end of the first 11 rounds of the championship, Shenzhen FC found itself in the fourth place out of the eight teams in Group A, with a total of 14 points. That is half of the 28 points scored by Guangzhou Evergrande FC, leader of the group.

While Shenzhen FC (2004 Chinese champions) was struggling with their results, Uzuegbunam was able to put a smile back on the faces of his fans. In the first 11 games, the Cameroonian player had already scored eight goals, becoming one of the top scorers in the current Chinese championship.

On the first day of this year's championship, Shenzhen FC were able to take advantage of the mistakes of Guangzhou R&F FC to make some easy gains. This is due to Li Songyi, who scored the first goal, as well as Harold Preciado and Gao Lin, who scored two penalty goals. But it is in the match against Shanghai Greenland Shenhua FC during the second round of the championship that Uzuegbunam really began making his mark. He scored the first double goals of the season, despite the match ending with a Shenhua FC victory (3-2).

John Mary, as he is commonly known in China, holds the provisional title of one of the top scorers with eight goals as of September 15 along with the fastest goal of the season. Indeed, he scored a goal in the second minute of the game between Shenzhen FC and Henan Jianye FC during the fourth round of the championship on August 10. Uzuegbunam, currently courted by the national teams of Nigeria, his country of birth, and Cameroon, the country where he grew up and took his first steps as a footballer, said he is determined to keep scoring goals and prove his worth. His objective is always to do better; if not, at least as well as Congolese Cédric Bakambu and Nigerian Odion Ighalo, who have, in previous seasons, fought for top place on the podium of highest scorers in the Chinese championship.

A scorer's soul

In 2019, in his first season in the Chinese Super League, Uzuegbunam scored nine goals and two assists in 14 games played. His skill as a strong scorer is no surprise, as he was already the top scorer in the Chinese League One during the 2018 season. As part of his previous team, Meizhou Hakka FC, the 27-year-old scored 24 goals and five assists in 21 games played. During his two seasons with China League One, Uzuegbunam scored a grand total of 36 goals. This was a major asset in his favor when he transferred from Meizhou Hakka FC to Shenzhen FC.

Uzuegbunam, a former player with AS Fortuna and Douala Union, has already won the title of top scorer more than once in his short but impressive career. In the 2016-17 season, he played in Rudar Velenje FC in Slovenia, where he scored 17 times, winning the title of top scorer in the Slovenian Elite Championship. Jean-Claude Billong, his teammate at the time and fellow Cameroonian, praised "his skill in front of the goal, his smart play during relay and positioning, his ability to help his teammates, and his commitment as a warrior when he is on the field."

A tireless traveler, Uzuegbunam is always on the move, eager to discover and take up new challenges, and with the constant thirst to strive for the highest position. Born in Onitsha, Nigeria, Uzuegbunam quickly moved to Cameroon, where he became known for his explosiveness on the field. He was quickly recruited for the U20 youth teams in 2011, scoring five goals in eight matches as part of the Cubs, as Cameroon's national U20 football team is known.

He finally left for Thailand, where he officially started his career as a professional player. There, he played successively for Bariram United (2012), scoring one goal in three games played. During the following season, he joined BCC Tero FC (2013). In his seven appearances, he scored six goals. He was then recruited by Krabi FC (2014), which gave him more chances to prove himself. In 26 games, Uzuegbunam scored 10 goals. At Prachuap FC, the following season (2015), he took advantage of the 16 games in which he played as a starting player to score 21 goals, thus earning his first trophy as a top scorer. Vojvodina Novi Sad FC (2017) then reached out to him, but just for a two-game contract. From there he moved on to Rudar Velenje FC in Slovenia, where once again he was able to win the title of top scorer. During his two seasons there (2016-2018), he played 51 games and scored 27 goals. CA

Reporting from Cameroon

(Print Edition Title: A Serial Scorer)

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