Search icon

Football

26th Feb 2016

Arguably the greatest wonderkid in MLS history is off to China

What a waste

Ben Kiely

Kid’s got a bright, bright future ahead of him.

The word “wonderkid” is bandied about far too much these days to the point where there is some dispute over the correct use of the term.

Some argue that young overachievers with oodles of potential such as Martin Odegaard deserve the wonderkid label, while others feel like only youngsters who have proven they can hang at the highest level such as John Stones should be allowed to have the title.

However, there is one player that is universally considered to be the definitive wonderkid. Of course, we are referring to Obafemi Martins.

This youngster’s been on our radar for a while now as we’ve followed his promising career with the Seattle Sounders as he’s netted golazo after golazo after golazo. However, last week the hot prospect announced that he’d be leaving the MLS to play in China, a very unorthodox move for a player so soon into his fledgling career.

https://twitter.com/Obafemimartins/status/700124273843679232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

On Friday, the MLS franchise confirmed the news that he has been officially transferred to Chinese Super League side Shanghai Greenland Shenhua FC. Here’s hoping he continues to showcase his patented brand of youthful exuberance that makes many believe he is one of the future superstars of the beautiful game in the East.

The FootballJOE quiz: Were you paying attention? – episode 10