Odion Jude Ighalo (born 16 June 1989) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Saudi Pro League club Al-Wehda.

In January 2017, Ighalo joined Chinese Super League club Changchun Yatai for a reported £20 million, before moving onto Shanghai Shenhua.

[4] Born in Edo[5] and raised in Lagos,[6] Ighalo played in his country with Prime and Julius Berger, where he was discovered by FIFA agent Marcelo Houseman who recommended him to Atta Aneke, being subsequently taken on trial by Norway's Lyn.

He scored six goals in 13 matches in his second year to help his team to the seventh position, and subsequently arose interest from other clubs in the country, with Brann reporting Lyn to the Norwegian Football Federation for unfairness in the negotiation process.

[26] Exactly three months later, he scored four second-half goals and was voted man of the match in a 7–2 home routing of Blackpool, who led 0–2 at half time;[27] he took his league tally to 14 on 10 February 2015, after netting a brace to help his team come from behind at Brentford to win it 2–1 – his second came through an injury-time header.

[28] Ighalo scored in his Premier League debut on 8 August 2015, replacing José Manuel Jurado 16 minutes from time and putting the visitors ahead 2–1 in an eventual 2–2 draw away against Everton for the season opener.

[29] He netted twice in a 2–0 home win over West Ham United on 31 October, reaching seven goals for the season and becoming the highest club scorer in the competition after just 11 matches.

[31] His five-goal haul earned him December's Premier League Player of the Month, while his manager Quique Sánchez Flores won the equivalent award.

[32] Ighalo broke a 599-minute personal scoring drought on 13 March 2016, with a goal in a 2–1 win against holders Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, putting the Hornets into the last four for the first time in nine years.

[59] On 24 March 2015, after a series of strong performances for Watford, newly appointed Nigeria interim coach Daniel Amokachi selected Ighalo for the first time, and the latter stated, "I feel good because it is my dream to play for my country".

[62] In June 2018, he was named in the 23-man squad for the upcoming edition of the FIFA World Cup in Russia,[63] making his first appearance in the competition by playing 73 minutes in the 0–2 group stage defeat against Croatia;[64] in October, he revealed that his family had received death threats after he failed to score in the tournament.

[66] He was included in Gernot Rohr's squad,[67] taking part in all the matches and finding the net against Burundi in the group phase (1–0),[68] Cameroon in the round of 16 (3–2 win),[69] Algeria in the semi-finals (1–2 loss)[70] and Tunisia in the third-place playoff (1–0).

[73] Ighalo is a devout Christian,[74] who also often dedicates part of his wages for Nigerian charitable organisations to help impoverished children, schools and widows below the poverty line.