Ernest Okonkwo, the famous Nigerian footballer commentator in the 1980s who worked for Radio Nigeria coined the phrase “Mathematical” as Segun Odegbami’s nickname.
The nickname epitomizes Segun Odegbami’s sheer technical abilities on the ball: how he dribbles, passes, and crosses the ball with unmatched accuracy from the right wing.
Odegbami would have been a weapon of mass destruction if he played in today’s era of football either as a natural right winger, an inside forward who operates from the right, or a false 9 given his potent goalscoring ability.
Segun Odegbami belongs to arguably the most talented generation of the Nigerian football team ever. He played alongside the legendary Chief Justice Adokie Amiesimaka, Okey Isima, Christian Chukwu, Best Ogedengbe, and Muda Lawal among others.
Odegbami scored twice in the final as Nigeria beat Algeria 3-0 in Lagos to lift its first Africa Cup of Nations in 1980.
Segun Odegbami played as a right winger/forward and scored 23 goals in 47 appearances for the “Green Eagles” which is known as Super Eagles today.
This post highlights the background, career, achievements, and personal life of Segun Odegbami – a Nigerian football legend who created magic with the ball from the right flank.
Segun Odegbami Background
Patrick Olusegun Odegbami was born in Lagos to Jacob Adebola Odegbami and Beatrice Bintu Abeke Odegbami (née Olotu) in Lagos on 27 August 1952. However, Odegbami, his two brothers Dele and Wole lived in Jos, the capital of Plateau State alongside other members of his extended family.
Segun Odegbami’s father is the older half-brother of popular Nigerian Author Amos Tutuola who wrote many novels including The Palm-Wine Drinkard (1946, published 1952), My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (1954), Simbi and the Satyr of the Dark Jungle (1955), The Brave African Huntress (1958) among other novels.
How old is Segun Odegbami?
Segun Odegbami is currently 71 years old as of February 2025.
Height
How tall is Segun Odegbami? Segun Odegbami is 5 feet and 9 inches tall. The Green Eagles legend played as a winger/forward and has quite a towering stature.
Education
Segun Odegbami holds a degree in Engineering from the famous Polytechnic, Ibadan, and started his football career after graduation in 1970.
Segun Odegbami Career
Odegbami had a brilliant and well-decorated career for both club and country.
He attained stardom at IICC Shooting Stars in Ibadan after graduating from the Polytechnic. Odegbami never played for any other club aside from IICC Shooting Stars.
He won several trophies for the club between 1970 and 1984.
Segun Odegbami won the Nigerian Premier League with IICC Shooting Stars in 1976, 1980, and 1983. He also led the club to the Nigerian FA Cup in 1977 and 1979.
He played a huge role in the club’s success at the Africa’s Winners Cup in 1976. Shooting Stars defeated Tonnerre Yaoundé 4-2 on aggregate to lift the trophy.
Green Eagles
Segun Odegbami’s dazzling performances for IICC Shooting Stars caught the attention of then-Green Eagles coach Otto Gloria. The Brazilian coach invited Odegbami to the national team at the age of 24.
Segun Odegabmi made his debut for the national team on 16 October 1976 in a FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Sierra Leone.
Odegbami scored three goals en route to the Green Eagles’ 1980 African Cup of Nations success on home soil. Segun Odegami scored two goals in the final as Nigeria beat Algeria 3-0 in the final in front of a packed National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
The winger scored three goals in the tournament and made the CAF’s Team of the Tournament alongside goalkeeper, Best Ogedengbe and captain of the team, Christian Chukwu.
His exploits for club and country earned a podium finish at the 1980 CAF African Footballer of the Year prize as he finished second behind Cameroun’s Jean-Manga Ougene.
He captained Nigeria to the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games. He won a silver medal at the 1978 All-African Games in Algiers.
Segun Odegbami retired from the national team on 30 October 1982. He scored 23 goals in 46 matches for the Green Eagles with a goal in every two matches.
Odegbami is joint-second in Nigeria’s all-time top scorers chart alongside Victor Osimhen who recently equaled his tally.
After retiring from the national team, Segun Odegbami continued playing IICC Shooting Stars and led the team to the final of the 1984 African Champions Cup. Unfortunately. Shooting Stars lost to Egyptian side Zamalek which signaled the end of his football career.
Segun Odegbami brothers
His two brothers Dele and Wole also played football. Dele Odegbami played for Stationery Stores football club of Lagos briefly. He also played for his school (Ebenezer Grammar School, Abeokuta), the West Academicals, as well as his university, UNN Nsukka.
Wole Odegbami played for the Green Eagles for 11 years and scored twice in 18 matches for the team. He also represented the country at the 1988 Seoul Olympics in South Korea.
He played for four seasons for EPA Larnaca and Paralimni before moving to VSE St. Pölten in the Austrian Bundesliga in 1993.
Wole Odegbami had trials in England with Wimbledon and Millwall. Unfortunately, he was not offered a contract.
Odegbami also played for English non-League sides, Grays Athletic, Purfleet, Dulwich Hamlet, and Bromley.
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Post-Career Endeavors
Segun Odegbami has experienced his desire to contest for a couple of football-related positions. He expressed his interest in contesting for the FIFA Presidency in 2007. He appeared on a popular reality game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire with popular Nigerian comic actor Zebrudaya and donated the proceeds to The Little Saints’ Orphanage on the Strong Tower Mission.
He launched a radio station called Eagles 7 Sports Radio 103.7 FM in Nigeria in June 2022. The radio station is in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Segun Odegbami is also a columnist and worked with Nigeria’s foremost Sports Newspaper Daily, Complete Sports for several years.
Segun Odegbami wife
He married Oyindamola Adeyemi in 2010. He reportedly met her at a Non-Governmental Organisation program. The couple are no longer together according to sources online.
Segun Odegabmi also had an affair with popular talk show host Funmi Iyanda. The couple had a daughter together named Morenike. The former Green Eagles star married another woman Jumoke Tejumola Odegbami. They had kids together but the union got dissolved later on.
Children
Segun Odegbami has two daughters Funmi Odegbami and May Odegbami, who is also known as May7ven. May Odegbami is a music artist and is the most popular among his children. May7ven is not only a singer but also a dancer, model, and actress. May7ven is on Instagram with 11, 000 followers on her page
Unfortunately, Segun Odegbami’s son Oluwagbeminiyi Odegbami died in 2024. He wrote an emotional tribute to mourn him.
Segun Odegbami net worth
There is no exact figure to Segun Odegbami’s net worth but the ex-Green Eagles star is living a comfortable life and has a couple of houses, cars and other properties at his disposal. Segun Odegbami according to reports owns a mansion in Lagos and a house in Ibadan which has since been sold.
SOCA Academy – Segun Odegbami Legacy
Segun Odegbami founded the “Segun Odegbami International College and Sports Academy in 2003. He founded the Sports and School academy to develop talents between the age of 10-15 across different sports including tennis, basketball, track and field and of course football.
Social Media
Segun Odegbami is on X with the username @segunodegbami7
