Wilson Oruma pain on being duped

• He is a Nigerian former professional footballer
• He played as a midfielder
• He participated in the 1998 FIFA World Cup

Wilson Oruma is one of the most prominent figures in the history of African football. Oruma played as a midfielder and spent most of his career in France. He was part of the Nigeria U-17 team which won the 1993 FIFA World Championships captaining his side and becoming the top score in the tournament having scored six goals.

Wilson Oruma Biography

Net Worth

Wilson Oruma made a good fortune throughout his football career. He earned through contracts, salaries, wages and bonuses. His last known net worth was a whopping $5 million.

In 2019, the former footballer lost a huge portion of his wealth to fraudsters, sending him into severe depression. He somehow got back on his feet and never declared bankruptcy.

Personal Life

Oruma was born on December 30 1976 in Warri, Nigeria to parents of the country’s origin. He has a brother Dominic Oruma, the captain of the Golden Eaglets who won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Japan in 1993.

Wilson Oruma. Photo/The Guardian Nigeria

The former player suffered emotional disorder as a result of being duped by a certain pastor and some fake oil businessmen. He went bankrupt and this put him in a state of mental disorder six years after the incident.

It is alleged that the player lost a sum of $4.2 million to an investment that did not work out. This was a big blow and anyone else is expected to be in such a condition after losing all his hard-earned fortunes in a short period.

His ex-teammates who played with him during his days on the national team were on a plan to help him resuscitate him back to his normal life.

The player featured for Nigeria’s national team in two world cup tournaments and also captained the U-17 team. In addition, he became the top scorer by scoring six goals.

Wilson’s Career.

The former player played most of his career in France after arriving at RC Lens from Bendel Insurance.

A season after being loaned to Nancy, he returned to club Lens where he played seven matches during the 1997-98 Ligue 1 title campaign, representing his country at the World Cup in that season, captaining the U-17 team that won. He became the top scorer of the tournament after scoring six goals for his team.

After the tournament, he moved to Turkish side Samsunspor, returning to France one year later to play for Nimes. In the year 2000, he was transferred to Swiss side Servette, playing two seasons before coming back to France again where he played for Sochaux, Marseille and Guingamp where he won the 2003-04 Coupe de la Ligue with Sochaux.

In season 2008-09, he again won in the Coupe de France with Guingamp despite them being a Ligue 2 club at the time. He was put on trial by Cardiff City, a club based in Wales though they play in the English football league system and scored a draw in a friendly match at Chasetown.

Wilson Oruma.Photo/Within Nigeria

He was denied a contract due to being unfit and retired from professional football in 2010 after a season with Greek club AO Kavala.

Oruma represented his national team at various levels. He was part of the Nigeria U-17 team that won in the 1993 FIFA World Championships, as he captained his side and became the tournament’s top goal scorer with six goals.

He played 19 times international matches over 11 years for Nigeria and was part of the team that participated in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, where he scored in the only appearance he made in the tournament against Paraguay.

The player was also part of the squad that won the gold Olympic medal in 1996, a year after he debuted for Nigeria, and a member of the Nigerian squad at the 2002 and 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, finishing both competitions in third place.

Wilson was later offered a job as an assistant coach in one of the national teams and is also a member of the Order of the Niger [MON].