Former Manchester United and Nigeria forward Odion Ighalo’s upbringing was not a rosy one.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Ighalo did not have everything he wanted, and football would turn out to be his only way out of poverty.
He started his football career at Osun United football career in 2005 before he moved to Bridge Football Club in 2006.
Ighalo was then spotted by an agent, who would recommend him to clubs in Europe. His first stop was in Norway where he signed up with Lyn FC, a club that that got his European sojourn underway.
After playing for Lyn for a year, Ighalo went on to play for top tier clubs in Italy, Spain, England, and China.
Ighalo has since gone back home to give back the Millions he has earned over time to the community that made him who he is.
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He started constructing his children's orphanage in June 2017 and officially commissioned it for the start of operations in December that year.
The orphanage, whose construction cost Ighalo close to Ksh135 million, is located in Ijegun in northern Lagos.
It currently is home to between 30-40 children, who are on a home-schooling program, staying at the facility while receiving their education on site. They also are incorporated into sports programs.
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It is envisioned that once the children reach 18, they can now go out and pursue their passion.
Ighalo featured prominently for Watford in the Premier League between 2014 and 2017, scoring 33 goals in 82 appearances.
He is currently attached to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia but is yet to feature in a competitive match for the club after his signing early this year.
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