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In what will come as a big shock to the supporters of Hyderabad FC, Bart Ogbeche will not be a part of the club for the upcoming season. Sources say that the all-time top scorer of the Indian Super League (ISL) is expected to leave the club and return to one of the sides that he represented earlier in the country.
Ogbeche's departure will leave a big void in the Hyderabad FC ranks, but they have already started to fortify themselves by signing the likes of Jonathan Moya and Joe Knowles. Nonetheless, Ogbeche will be terribly missed at the Maidaan in Gachibowli.
The 38-year-old joined Hyderabad FC from Mumbai City ahead of the 2021-22 season on a free transfer, and was instrumental in leading the side to its maiden Indian Super League title. He won the ISL Golden Boot that season, finding the back of the net on 18 occasions. Ogbeche also provided one assist.
He was relatively quieter in the 2022-23 season, but still scored 10 goals in the league and provided a couple of assists. Ogbeche has also been known to ply his trade for NorthEast United, Kerala Blasters and Mumbai City in his Indian Super League career. However, Hyderabad FC are the only club where he spent more than one year.
Bart Ogbeche: A club legend of Hyderabad FC
Bart Ogbeche will hold a special place in the hearts of the supporters of Hyderabad FC. He is akin to being a legend in the short history of the club owing to his contributions over the two seasons he spent here.
The Nigerian has amassed a total of 28 league goals in the 41 appearances he has made for the Yellow and Black brigade. The 2002 World Cupper will be on the lookout for a new club, although the grapevine has it that he might go back to one of the clubs he has represented in the past in India.
Ogbeche is most well-known for the 51 appearances he made for European giants Paris Saint-Germain from 2001 to 2005 as well as the one season he spent at English club Middlesbrough in 2011-12. He has been capped by his country Nigeria on 11 occasions, finding the back of the net three times.
Ogbeche featured in two matches in the 2002 FIFA World Cup as the Super Eagles exited in the group stage. It is anybody's guess now where Ogbeche heads to in the ongoing transfer window. The supporters of Hyderabad FC, however, will thank him wholeheartedly for all the joy that he has given them in Yellow and Black.
