Obafemi Martins

He is known for his exceptional pace, incredible shots and acrobatic goal celebrations.

Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins (born October 28, 1984 in Lagos, Nigeria is a Nigerian football player who plays as a striker for the Nigeria national team, and for the English club Newcastle United.
Martins is known for his exceptional pace, powerful shots and acrobatic goal celebrations. Although relatively short, Martins has a good leap and it has been reported that he used to be very good at the long jump and high jump as well as gymnastics. Martins is left footed; however, since joining Newcastle he has shown that he is also more than capable of scoring with both feet and his head.
Martins has two brothers who also play football. His elder brother, Oladipupo Olarotini Martins, is on the books of Serbian side FK Partizan, whilst his younger brother John Abiola Martins plays football in Nigeria.
Martins has scored 11 goals in 14 appearances for Nigeria. He was a part of the Nigerian team that finished third in the 2006 African Cup of Nations. Martins scored two goals in the competition, both coming against Senegal in the first round. Rumors insist he will soon be playing his club football for Arsenal, although no deal has yet been agreed.
His future for the national team has been placed in doubt on numerous occasions after separate incidents of controversy. In August, 2006 the Nigerian FA website mistakenly had his date of birth down as May 1, 1978. This would have made him twenty-eight years of age, rather than twenty-one. The Nigerian FA soon confirmed that it had been an administrative error and apologised for the confusion it had caused. However Martins threatened to quit playing for the national team after the blunder had initially put his move to Newcastle in doubt.
On February 6, 2007 he did not turn up for the 4-1 friendly defeat against Ghana, despite being ordered to play. He later explained his absence was due to the fact he had travelled to Lagos in order to visit his sick mother. The Nigerian caretaker coach Augustine Eguavoen was furious with Martins and threatened to ban him from the national team. On February 14, 2007 Martins apologised for missing the game but said he believed his mother's health was more important. He also said that he will be available to play for Nigeria in the future. He made his return to the national side on March 24, 2007, playing the full 90 minutes against Uganda in an African Cup of Nations Qualifying match and won.
On the 18th of June, 2007, while driving home in Lagos from Nigeria's Nations Cup qualifier versus Niger, Martins' Mercedes was sprayed with bullets. Martins was not hit, but a friend who was in the car with him was injured. The Nigerian police, however, claim that Martins lied about the incident.

Newcastle
28 October 1984
Source: Wikipedia