# Nwankwo Kanu
**Nwankwo Kanu** (full name Nwankwo Christian Nwosu Kanu; born 1976 in Owerri, Nigeria) is a Nigerian former professional footballer, a center forward who won the 1996 Olympic gold medal, the 1995 Champions League with Ajax, two Premier League titles with Arsenal, and the 2008 [FA Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fa-cup) with Portsmouth, and who returned to top-level play after corrective surgery for a congenital heart defect.[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/26740) • [2](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/nwankwo-kanu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/) • [3](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/games-that-changed-my-life-nwankwo-kanu-tells-fft-the-defining-matches-that-made-him) Since retiring in 2012 he has devoted most of his time to the Kanu Heart Foundation, which he founded in 2000.[4](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/nwankwo-kanu-interview-arsenal-arsene-wenger-african-football-a8480341.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976, Owerri, Imo, Nigeria; listed at 197 cm and 80 kg[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/26740) |
| Clubs | Federation Works (1991-92), Iwuanyanwu Nationale (1992-93), Ajax (1993-96), Inter Milan (1996-99), Arsenal (1999-2004), West Bromwich Albion (2004-06), Portsmouth (2006-2012)[5](https://www.11v11.com/players/nwankwo-kanu-21/) |
| Major honors | Champions League 1994-95, Intercontinental Cup 1995, three Dutch titles, UEFA Cup 1997-98, Olympic gold 1996, two English league titles, two FA Cups[2](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/nwankwo-kanu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/) |
| Heart surgery | Aortic valve malformation found on joining Inter in 1996; surgery in Cleveland, Ohio, ruled him out for nearly a year[2](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/nwankwo-kanu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/) • [4](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/nwankwo-kanu-interview-arsenal-arsene-wenger-african-football-a8480341.html) |
| Arsenal record | 44 goals in 198 appearances; two Premier League titles and two FA Cups in five seasons[6](https://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20160217/kanu-how-my-arsenal-spell-opened-doors) |
| 2008 FA Cup | Scored the semifinal winner against West Brom and the only goal of the final against Cardiff[3](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/games-that-changed-my-life-nwankwo-kanu-tells-fft-the-defining-matches-that-made-him) |
| Foundation | Kanu Heart Foundation, founded 2000; UK registered charity number 1082109; more than 500 children treated, with about 200 on the waiting list as of 2018[4](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/nwankwo-kanu-interview-arsenal-arsene-wenger-african-football-a8480341.html) • [7](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/3973928/accounts-and-annual-returns?_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_organisationNumber=3973928) |
## Early career and Ajax
Kanu began in the Nigerian domestic league with Federation Works and Iwuanyanwu Nationale of Owerri, the club with which he won the Nigerian championship in 1993.[5](https://www.11v11.com/players/nwankwo-kanu-21/) • [8](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/4814/Nwankwo_Kanu.html) His performances at the 1993 African and World Youth Championships earned a move to Ajax, and his senior international debut followed soon after, in May 1994 against Sweden.[5](https://www.11v11.com/players/nwankwo-kanu-21/)
At Ajax under [Louis van Gaal](https://www.edgepedia.org/louis-van-gaal) he won three consecutive Dutch championships (1993-94, 1994-95, 1995-96), two Dutch Super Cups, the 1994-95 Champions League, and the 1995 Intercontinental Cup.[2](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/nwankwo-kanu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/) In the 1995 Champions League final against Milan he came on for [Clarence Seedorf](https://www.edgepedia.org/clarence-seedorf) in the second half, and [Patrick Kluivert](https://www.edgepedia.org/patrick-kluivert)'s 85th-minute goal won the match 1-0.[3](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/games-that-changed-my-life-nwankwo-kanu-tells-fft-the-defining-matches-that-made-him)
## The heart condition and Inter Milan
[Fabio Capello](https://www.edgepedia.org/fabio-capello) recommended Kanu to Massimo Moratti, who brought him to Inter in the summer of 1996, but a medical examination discovered a malformation of the aortic valve.[2](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/nwankwo-kanu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/) Doctors flew him to the United States for surgery to replace the valve, which ruled him out for nearly a year; the operation was performed at the [Cleveland](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland) cardiac surgery center in Ohio.[4](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/nwankwo-kanu-interview-arsenal-arsene-wenger-african-football-a8480341.html) • [9](https://www.kanuheartfoundationng.com/about/kanu-nwankwo/) He returned to play against widespread skepticism and won the UEFA Cup with Inter in 1997-98, though he struggled for playing time, and his agent moved him to Arsenal in February 1999.[2](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/nwankwo-kanu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/)
## Arsenal
Arsene Wenger had followed Kanu for six months before signing him, and Kanu later said Wenger's belief in him was decisive.[4](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/nwankwo-kanu-interview-arsenal-arsene-wenger-african-football-a8480341.html) In five seasons he scored 44 goals in 198 appearances and helped the club win two Premier League titles and two FA Cups.[6](https://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20160217/kanu-how-my-arsenal-spell-opened-doors)
**The Chelsea hat-trick.** In October 1999, with Arsenal 2-0 down at Chelsea and 15 minutes to play, Kanu scored on 75 minutes, equalized eight minutes later, and won the match in the final minute with a shot from an acute angle past Ed de Goey. The 6 ft 6 in forward's 12 league goals that season helped him claim a second African Player of the Year title, though Arsenal lost the title to Manchester United.[10](https://www.premierleague.com/news/2284536?sf250221479=1) As Thierry Henry's emergence reduced his appearances, he played a part in Arsenal's unbeaten "Invincibles" season of 2003-04 before joining West Bromwich Albion that summer.[10](https://www.premierleague.com/news/2284536?sf250221479=1)
## Later club career
Kanu signed for West Bromwich Albion in July 2004 on a three-year contract and moved to [Portsmouth](https://www.edgepedia.org/portsmouth) in August 2006, initially on a one-year deal that was extended repeatedly.[5](https://www.11v11.com/players/nwankwo-kanu-21/) At Portsmouth he scored the semifinal winner against his former club West Brom at Wembley and the only goal of the 2008 FA Cup final against Cardiff, bringing the cup to [Fratton Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/fratton-park) for the first time in 69 years; in October 2008 he and his teammates received the Freedom of the City of Portsmouth.[3](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/games-that-changed-my-life-nwankwo-kanu-tells-fft-the-defining-matches-that-made-him) • [9](https://www.kanuheartfoundationng.com/about/kanu-nwankwo/) He stayed at Portsmouth, mostly as a substitute, until his contract was canceled in July 2012, ending his career.[5](https://www.11v11.com/players/nwankwo-kanu-21/)
## Nigeria
Kanu was captain of Nigeria's "Dream Team" at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the first African Olympic gold medal in football.[11](https://nationalambassadorngr.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/National-Ambassador-29-December-2024.pdf) In the semifinal against Brazil, a side including Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, and Rivaldo, he scored a 90th-minute equalizer to make it 3-3 and then the golden goal in the 94th minute of extra time for a 4-3 win; Nigeria beat Argentina 3-2 in the final.[12](https://time.com/6085039/nigeria-super-eagles-1996/) • [3](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/games-that-changed-my-life-nwankwo-kanu-tells-fft-the-defining-matches-that-made-him) He also represented Nigeria at the 1998 World Cup after his surgery and at later tournaments.[5](https://www.11v11.com/players/nwankwo-kanu-21/)
Cap totals differ by source: an Independent interview reports 87 caps, while National Football Teams records 54 FIFA matches and 12 goals, and the Treccani encyclopedia recorded 38 caps and 6 goals as of 2002.[4](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/nwankwo-kanu-interview-arsenal-arsene-wenger-african-football-a8480341.html) • [8](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/4814/Nwankwo_Kanu.html) • [2](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/nwankwo-kanu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/)
## Kanu Heart Foundation
Moved by the public concern shown to him during his rehabilitation, Kanu founded the Kanu Heart Foundation in 2000, a non-governmental, non-profit organization that helps indigent Nigerian children with cardiac disease obtain life-saving surgery within and outside Nigeria.[9](https://www.kanuheartfoundationng.com/about/kanu-nwankwo/) • [13](https://www.kanuheartfoundationng.com/) The UK arm is registered charity number 1082109, and the associated company was incorporated on 20 April 2000.[7](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/3973928/accounts-and-annual-returns?_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_organisationNumber=3973928) • [14](https://clarity-project.co.uk/company/03978339) By 2018 the foundation's hospitals across Africa had given treatment to more than 500 children, with about 200 more on the waiting list, and Kanu was raising funds for a new cardiac center in Abuja through a charity match featuring former Premier League and African stars.[4](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/nwankwo-kanu-interview-arsenal-arsene-wenger-african-football-a8480341.html) His stated goal is five KHF hospitals in Africa to ease the problem of undetected heart disease and corrective surgery.[9](https://www.kanuheartfoundationng.com/about/kanu-nwankwo/)
Kanu is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and the twice CAF African Footballer of the Year has continued public work since retirement, including ownership of Kanu Sports TV.[9](https://www.kanuheartfoundationng.com/about/kanu-nwankwo/) • [10](https://www.premierleague.com/news/2284536?sf250221479=1)
## References
1. [Olympedia – Nwankwo Kanu](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/26740)
2. [KANU, Nwankwo – Treccani, Enciclopedia dello Sport (2002)](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/nwankwo-kanu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/)
3. [Games That Changed My Life: Nwankwo Kanu, FourFourTwo (2022)](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/games-that-changed-my-life-nwankwo-kanu-tells-fft-the-defining-matches-that-made-him)
4. [Nwankwo Kanu interview, The Independent (2018)](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/nwankwo-kanu-interview-arsenal-arsene-wenger-african-football-a8480341.html)
5. [Nwankwo Kanu Football Player Statistics, 11v11.com](https://www.11v11.com/players/nwankwo-kanu-21/)
6. [Kanu – How my Arsenal spell opened doors, Arsenal.com (2016)](https://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20160217/kanu-how-my-arsenal-spell-opened-doors)
7. [Kanu Nwankwo Heart Foundation, UK Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/3973928/accounts-and-annual-returns?_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_organisationNumber=3973928)
8. [Nwankwo Kanu (Player), National Football Teams](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/4814/Nwankwo_Kanu.html)
9. [About Kanu Nwankwo, Kanu Heart Foundation](https://www.kanuheartfoundationng.com/about/kanu-nwankwo/)
10. [Black History Month Heroes: Nwankwo Kanu, Premier League (2021)](https://www.premierleague.com/news/2284536?sf250221479=1)
11. [National Ambassador, 29 December 2024](https://nationalambassadorngr.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/National-Ambassador-29-December-2024.pdf)
12. [25 Years Ago, Nigeria's Super Eagles Won Olympic Gold, TIME (2021)](https://time.com/6085039/nigeria-super-eagles-1996/)
13. [Kanu Heart Foundation](https://www.kanuheartfoundationng.com/)
14. [Kanu Nwankwo Heart Foundation, Clarity Project (Companies House 03978339)](https://clarity-project.co.uk/company/03978339)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of Africa › West African footballers › Nigerian footballers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license