Stephen Makinwa

Stephen Makinwa was born in Lagos, Nigeria, on July 26, 1983. In 2012 he obtained Italian citizenship too.

Source Lazio Wiki

His first team as a youngster in his homeland was Ebedei but at 17 he arrived in Europe and joined Reggiana's youth setup.

In 2000-01 he spent a season at Conegliano (Treviso and also Del Piero's hometown)) on loan in Eccellenza (5th tier). He played 8 league games with 2 goals.

In 2001-02 he joined Como in Serie B but did not play at all.

In 2002-03 he returned to Reggio Emilia. Reggiana were in Serie C1 and finished 12th, under manager Adriano Cadregari. Makinwa played 29 league games with 6 goals.

In 2003 he started with Genoa in Serie B but, before playing, left in January and joined Como, again on loan in Serie B. The Lariani were relegated under former Lazio, Eugenio Fascetti and then Roberto Galia. Makinwa played 21 league games with 6 goals.

In January 2004 he moved to Modena on loan in Serie A. The manager was first Alberto Malesani and then Gianfranco Bellotto. Makinwa played 17 league games with 1 goal (Inter) and Modena finished 16th and relegated.

In 2004 he returned to Genoa in Serie B. The manager was Serse Cosmi and Makinwa stayed until January, playing 18 league games with 6 goals before leaving for Atalanta. Genoa ended up relegated to C1 for corruption (they had finished 1st).

He stayed six months in Bergamo. The manager was Delio Rossi and Atalanta finished 20th and relegated to Serie B. Makinwa played 17 league games with 6 goals (Lazio, Bologna, Cagliari, Milan, Sampdoria, Chievo).

In 2005-06 he played for Palermo, first under Luigi Del Neri and then former Lazio Giuseppe Papadopulo. The Rosanero finished 5th (UEFA Cup) and Makinwa played 23 league games with 5 goals (Inter, Siena, Empoli, Cagliari, Treviso). His teammates included Lazio connections, Giuseppe Biava (2010-14) and Massimo Bonanni (2006).

In 2006 he joined Lazio. The manager was Delio Rossi and Lazio had an excellent season finishing 3rd (Champions League). Makinwa played 25 league games with 3 goals (Milan, Messina, Reggina).

In 2007-08 he stayed on but only until January. He played 14 league games, 1 in Coppa Italia and 4 in the Champions League. Lazio finished 12th.

In January 2008 he joined Reggina on loan. The manager was first Renzo Ulivieri and then Nevio Orlandi. The Amaranto finished 15th in Serie A and he played 9 league games.

In 2008-09 he was back at Lazio but again only until January. The manager was still Rossi and Makinwa played 4 league games and 2 in Coppa Italia. Lazio finished 10th but won the Coppa Italia.

In January 2009 he joined Chievo on loan. The manager was Domenico Di Carlo and the Clivensi finished 16th. Makinwa played 9 league games with 1 goal (Cagliari) and was limited by an injury.

In 2009-10 he was again back in the capital. The manager was now Davide Ballardini. Lazio won the Supercoppa in August beating Mourinho’s Inter 2-1 but then struggled and finished 12th. In February Ballardini was replaced by Edy Reja. Makinwa played 2 league games, 1 in Coppa Italia and 3 in the Europa League.

In July 2010 he moved to Greece to play for Larissa on loan. He played 10 league games with 1 goal and 1 game in the Greek Cup.

In the summer of 2011, he returned yet again to Lazio. This time however, under Edy Reja, he got no games and in June 2012 his contract expired. The Biancocelesti had a good season and finished 4th (Europa League).

His last three clubs were at a lower level: Carrarese (Serie D, 13 games and 6 goals), Beijing Baxy (11 games and 4 goals) and finally Gorica in Slovenia (17 games and 2 goals).

He then retired at almost 38.

At international level he earned 19 caps for Nigeria with 2 goals (South Africa, Lesotho). He won a bronze medal at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations.

Makinwa was a forward. At 1.86 and 78 kilos he was a strong player but also fast. He was a prospect early in his career and had some good spells especially at Genoa, Atalanta and Palermo. He did not however really fulfil his potential, not helped by several injuries.

At Lazio he started well, scoring on his league debut at San Siro. In his various spells he lacked the consistency to impose himself as a regular. He played a total of 56 games for the Biancocelesti with 3 goals. He won a Super Coppa in 2009.

Lazio Career

Season	Total played (goals)	Serie A	Coppa Italia	Champions League	Europa League
2006-07	25 (3)	25 (3)	-	-	-
2007-Jan 08	19	14	1	4	-
2008-Jan 09	6	4	2	-	-
2009-10	6	2	1	-	3
Total	56 (3)	45 (3)	4	4	3

Sources

Wikipedia