Patrick Owomoyela

Patrick Olaiya Olukayode Owomoyela (; born 5 November 1979) is a German former professional footballer who played mainly as a right-back. He previously played for Lüneburger SK, VfL Osnabrück, SC Paderborn 07, Arminia Bielefeld, SV Werder Bremen, Borussia Dortmund and Hamburger SV II. He was capped by Germany at international level and was a member of the squad at the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Club career Owomoyela began his career in lower league German football. In 2003, he made the step up to Arminia Bielefeld, then in the 2. Bundesliga.

Great performances for Bielefeld in the 2004–05 season earned Owomoyela interest from German top clubs, and ahead of the 2005–06 season, he joined SV Werder Bremen. In his first season, Owomoyela was the undisputed starter at right back and helped Bremen reach second in the Bundesliga. With the arrival of Clemens Fritz the following season, however, he lost his starting position due to injuries and bad displays. Owomoyela was finally transferred to Borussia Dortmund at the beginning of the 2008–09 season, He later was selected in the Bundestrainers team for the Confederations Cup in 2005, but was unused there and was finally overlooked for Germany's World Cup final squad. In total he collected eleven caps.

Post-retirement Following his retirement, Owomoyela became an English language commentator for Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal international broadcasts.

Personal life In addition to his football skills, Owomoyela is also a basketball player, having played in the German regional league before switching to football full-time. He was born to a German mother and a Nigerian father. His name "Olukayode" stems from the Yoruba words "Olu", a diminutive form of "Oluwa" or Olorun meaning "God" and "Kayode" meaning "to bring joy", which translates to "God brings me joy and happiness".

In the run-up to the 2006 World Cup, the National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) distributed leaflets showing a Germany jersey with the number 25, and the slogan "White - not just a jersey colour! For a real NATIONAL team!". Owomoyela and the German Football Association filed charges, interpreting the leaflet as directed to Owomoyela due to his squad number and the colour of his skin. In April 2009, NPD leader Udo Voigt and two others were convicted of incitement to racial hatred and defamation, and given suspended prison sentences. The convictions were overturned by the Berlin State Court in March 2011, judging that the number alone was not enough to link the leaflet to Owomoyela, and that "white" has other meanings including good moral character.

In 2021, Owomoyela featured in , a documentary detailing the experiences of Black players in German professional football.

Career statistics

Club

International

HonoursWerder Bremen DFL-Ligapokal: 2006Borussia Dortmund' Bundesliga: 2010–11, 2011–12 DFB-Pokal: 2011–12