Ojimi Gabriel "O.J." Obatola (born October 24, 1987 in Lagos

Lagos

Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...

) is a Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

n footballer currently .
He plays for Pattaya United in the Thailand Premier League

Thailand Premier League

The Thai Premier League is a Thai professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Thai football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai Division 1 League. The Thai...

.

Career

Obatola began his career with Gombak United

Gombak United FC

Gombak United Football Club is a professional football club which plays in Singapore's S.League.Gombak United rejoined the S.League in 2006, having previously played in the league from 1998 to 2002. The club's best S.League finishes to date have been fourth place in 2007. The club also won the Best...

 in the Singaporean S-League in 2006, and spent the next five years with the club, making over 100 appearances. He helped Gombak win the Singapore League Cup 2008

Singapore League Cup 2008

The 2008 Singapore League Cup marks the second occasion on which the Singapore League Cup competition has been staged. . Its official sponsored name for 2008 is the Avaya-J&J League Cup....

, and he was named S-League Young Player of the Year in 2009

On April 7, 2010, Obatola signed the Portland Timbers

Portland Timbers (USL)

Portland Timbers was an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 2001, the team played in various leagues at the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, including the USL First Division and the USSF Division 2 Professional League, until the end of...

 of the USSF D-2 Pro League

USSF Division 2 Professional League

USSF Division 2 Professional League was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation in 2010 to last just one season. The twelve-team league was formed as a compromise between the feuding United Soccer Leagues and the North American Soccer League...

, having impressed the team's coaches during a trial period during which he scored the winning goal in a friendly game against Seattle Sounders FC

Seattle Sounders FC

Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional soccer club based in Seattle, Washington. The club competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. Sounders FC was established in November 2007 as a MLS expansion team, making it the 15th team in...

, making him a fan favorite. However, after starting six of the first seven games of the 2010 season and scoring just one goal, Obatola did not feature in the next four matches and was released from his contract by mutual consent on June 10, 2010. He signed for Pattaya United of Thailand in February 2011 and scored his first goal for the team with a header in his first start on April 16, 2011.

Individual

• S. League Young Player of the Year (1): 2009
  2009 S. League
  The 2009 S.League is the 14th season since the establishment of the S-League...
  
  
• S. League People's Choice Award (1): 2009
  2009 S. League
  The 2009 S.League is the 14th season since the establishment of the S-League...
  
  

External links

• S-League Stats