Razak Omotoyossi
Encyclopedia
Razak Omotoyossi is a Nigerian-born Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...

ese footballer who plays for Egyptian club Zamalek and also for the Benin national football team
Benin national football team
The Benin national football team, nicknamed Les Écureuils , is the national football team of Benin and is controlled by the Fédération Béninoise de Football. They were known as the Dahomey national football team until 1975, when Dahomey became Benin. They have never made the World Cup but have...

.

Omotoyossi who plays as a striker, has played in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

, Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...

, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...

 and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.

Early career

Born in Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...

, Omotoyossi started his career in his native Nigeria, but was nearly derailed when the Nigeria Football Federation slammed a five-year ban on him for allegedly assaulting a referee during a Premier League game between his club, Sunshine Stars
Sunshine Stars F.C.
Sunshine Stars F.C. is a Nigerian football club based in Akure. They play in the top division in Nigerian football, the Nigerian Premier League...

 and visiting Enyimba. However, video evidence later showed that Omotoyossi was nowhere near the referee when the assault took place and the ban was therefore lifted. He had though already left to play in neighbouring Benin as the ban was not sanctioned by CAF
Confederation of African Football
The Confederation of African Football is the administrative and controlling body for African association football.CAF represents the national football associations of Africa, runs continental, national, and club competitions, and controls the prize money, regulations and media rights to those...

 or FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...

. He later switched to Beninese citizenship the same year.

He started his professional career in Benin with AJSA JS Pobè.

FC Sheriff

Omotoyossi signed for Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...

n side FC Sheriff
FC Sheriff Tiraspol
FC Sheriff Tiraspol is a football club based in Tiraspol, Moldova. They play in the Divizia Naţională, the top division in Moldovan football. The team is sometimes referred to as simply FC Sheriff and should not be confused with FC Tiraspol, a rival team based in the same city.-History:The club...

 in November 2005.

On 26 July 2006 he scored a 92nd minute equalizing goal for Sheriff against Spartak Moscow
FC Spartak Moscow
FC Spartak Moscow is a Russian football club from Moscow. Having won 12 Soviet championships and 9 of 19 Russian championships they are one of the country's most successful clubs. They have also won the Soviet Cup 10 times and the Russian Cup 3 times...

 in the second qualifying round of the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League.

In March 2007 he went on trial with Israeli Premier League side Hapoel Kfar Saba. He scored in a Toto Cup
Toto Cup
The Toto Cup is an association football tournament that exists separately in the two highest divisions in Israel: the Premier League and Liga Leumit....

 game, but did not sign for them as he found the challenge of the Swedish Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...

 more promising.

Helsingborg

Omotoyossi signed for Helsingborg
Helsingborgs IF
Helsingborgs IF , commonly referred to as Helsingborg and locally HIF, is a Swedish football club located in Helsingborg. They are currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan...

 in summer 2007. In the role of Henrik Larsson
Henrik Larsson
Henrik Edward Larsson MBE is a retired Swedish footballer and current manager of Landskrona BoIS.Larsson began his career with Högaborgs BK. He moved to Helsingborg, where he was one of the key players when they qualified to Allsvenskan 1993. Larsson then moved to Feyenoord for four years before...

's strike partner, Omotoyossi finished the 2007 season as joint top scorer having scored 14 goals in 23 games.

In the 2007–08 UEFA Cup, he scored twice in the first two qualifying rounds. His first goal came in the First leg of the First qualifying round home win over Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

n Meistriliiga
Meistriliiga
Meistriliiga is the highest division of the Estonian Football Association annual football championship. The league was founded in 1991 and the current, 2011 is the league's 21st season...

 side Narva Trans on 19 July 2007, and he then scored in the Second qualifying round, Second leg, a 3-0 home win over League of Ireland Premier Division  side Drogheda United. He then added a further four goals in the group stage as Helsingborg finished second in Group H.
Omotoyossi had scored six goals in six matches, (3 goals against Heereveen of Netherlands, 2 against Austria Vienna and 1 against the Turkish Giants Galatasaray) making him top scorer alongside teammate Henrik Larsson and Luca Toni
Luca Toni
Luca Toni, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who currently plays for Serie A club Juventus. He has had successful spells at top clubs such as Palermo, Fiorentina, Bayern Munich, and Roma...

 of Bayern Munich.His six goals were critical in Helsingborgs booking their passage to the last 32. With six goals in a total of eight games, Omotoyossi finished as joint 4th top scorer in the tournament. Despite being a top-scorer in Helsingborg, Omotoyossi was not happy in the club and made a fool of himself a number of times. One of the most memorable moments was when he in anger after being substituted off in a game, told a reporter the he had played his last game for the club and was later forced to apologize to the entire team.

He also appeared that year in Italy's Guerin Sportivo
Guerin Sportivo
The Guerin Sportivo is an Italian sport magazine. Founded in 1912 in Turin, it is published every month and is the oldest sport magazine in the world....

 as one of the world's top 50 stars for the very near future. This record caught the eye of Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....

 side SC Heerenveen, and it was rumoured that they wanted the striker as a replacement for Brazilian striker Afonso Alves
Afonso Alves
Afonso Alves Martins Júnior is a Brazilian footballer who plays for the Qatari club Al Rayyan Sports Club as a striker. He enjoyed the most successful period of his career during his time in Heerenveen in the Dutch league, where his goal-to-game ratio was higher than a goal a game...

 who was set to leave for English side Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...

.

After the January transfer window had shut, it was revealed that Omotoyossi had declined a move to Dutch Eredivisie side, FC Groningen, in a deal that would have been worth $2.5M.

Al-Nassr

In July 2008 Omotoyossi signed for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...

 for $3M.

He had a short stint at the Arabian club in which he appeared in nine games, scoring four goals in the 2008–09 season as Al-Nassr finished 5th in the Saudi Professional League.

Metz

On 9 June 2009 Omotoyoissi signed a three year contract with French Ligue 2
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 , formerly known as Division 2, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel , the other being Ligue 1, the country's top football division...

 side Metz. He scored twice in 8 starts and 14 as a subtitute player as Metz finished fourth in the 2009–10 season
2009–10 Ligue 2
The Ligue 2 2009–10 season was the sixty-ninth edition since its establishment. The fixtures were announced on 5 June 2009, and the league began on 7 August and ended on 14 May 2010....

, just missing out on promotion to Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....

.

GAIS

On 30 March 2011 Swedish club GAIS confirmed that they had signed Omotoyossi, he was signed on a short term contract until July.

Syrianska FC

On 21 July 2011 Omotoyossi signed a short term contract with Syrianska FC where he only played 5 matches before leaving to Egypt's Zamalek

Zamalek SC

On 15 September 2011 Omotoyossi signed a three year contract with the Egyptian giants Zamalek In a $150,000 Deal, the international star later stated that it will be an honor for him to play for the Cairo giants and train under the command of Egyptian coaching legend Hassan Shehata
Hassan Shehata
Hassan Shehata is an Egyptian football coach and former player, currently the head coach of the Zamalek SC.He was the head coach Egyptian national team from 2004 to 2011...

.

International career

Omotoyossi has represented Benin at under-20 and full international levels.

On 10 June 2005 he scored in the Group A 1-1 draw with Australia at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship
2005 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in The Netherlands between 10 June and 2 July 2005. The 2005 championship was the 15th contested.- Venues :- Qualification :The following 24 teams qualified for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship...

 in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

. It was Benin
Benin national football team
The Benin national football team, nicknamed Les Écureuils , is the national football team of Benin and is controlled by the Fédération Béninoise de Football. They were known as the Dahomey national football team until 1975, when Dahomey became Benin. They have never made the World Cup but have...

's first-ever goal at a world finals. "I always want to score goals, every time I go out on the pitch." he said at the time. On 7 February 2007 he scored in a 2-1 friendly defeat to Senegal
Senegal national football team
The Senegal national football team, nicknamed the Lions of Teranga, is the national team of Senegal and is controlled by the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football...

 in Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...

, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.

He played in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring one goal in qualification - in the 4-1 home win over Togo
Togo national football team
The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks, is controlled by the Fédération Togolaise de Football.They played at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Their team bus...

 on 19 June 2007 as Benin finished second in Group 9 to qualify for the finals in Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...

. Then in the finals, where Benin finished last place in Group B he scored a late consolation goal as Benin lost 4-1 to Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire national football team
The Côte d'Ivoire National Football Team or Ivory Coast National Football Team, nicknamed Les Éléphants , represents Côte d'Ivoire in international football and is controlled by the Fédération Ivoirienne de Football...

 on 25 January 2008.

He scored eight goals in eight matches in 2008 for the national team, making him joint top scorer in the African World Cup/Nations Cup qualifiers with Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o Fils is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Russian team Anzhi Makhachkala. He is also the current captain of the Cameroon national team.Eto'o trained at Kadji Sports Academy...

.

He scored six goals in the Second round of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...

 as Benin finished top in Group 3. His first two goals came on 8 June 2008 in the 4–1 win over Uganda
Uganda national football team
The Uganda national football team, nicknamed The Cranes, is the national team of Uganda and is controlled by the Federation of Uganda Football Associations...

. Six days later he scored in the 2–0 away win over Niger
Niger national football team
The Niger national football team, nicknamed the Menas, is overseen by the Fédération Nigerienne de Football and a member of CAF. Niger plays in the colors of the Flag of Niger, white, green, and orange...

. On 7 September, his two goals in the 3–2 home win over Angola
Angola national football team
The Angola national football team, nicknamed Palancas Negras , is the national team of Angola and is controlled by the Federação Angolana de Futebol. Angola reached 45th in the FIFA Rankings in July 2002...

 helped book Benin their place in the Third round. His sixth goal came in the final group game, a 2–1 away defeat to Uganda on 12 October.

In the Third and final qualification round, he scored twice as Benin finished second in Group D, just missing out on qualifying for the World Cup finals. He scored Benin's winning goal against Sudan
Sudan national football team
The Sudan national football team represents Sudan in association football and is controlled by the Sudan Football Association, the governing body for football in Sudan. Sudan's home ground is Al Merreikh Stadium in Omdurman and their head coach is Mohammed Abdullah Mazda...

 on 5 June 2009, and scored a penalty in their final group game, a 2–1 away win over Sudan on 10 November.

International goals

Scores and results list Benin's goal tally first.

External links

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