Daniel Ola

{{short description|Ghanaian-Nigerian football defender (born 1982)}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Daniel Ola

| fullname = Daniel Ola

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1982|11|23}}

| birth_place = Accra, Ghana

| height = 1.87 m

| position = Defender

| currentclub = Ginosa (technical collaborator)

| clubnumber =

| youthyears1 = 1997–1999 | youthyears2 = 1999–2000 | youthyears3 = 2000–2001 | youthyears4 =2001

| youthclubs1 = King Faisal Babes | youthclubs2 = Carouge | youthclubs3 = Lazio | youthclubs4 =Chievo

| pcupdate = 28 January 2022

}}

Daniel Ola (born 23 November 1982) is a Ghanaian-Nigerian football coach and former defender. He is currently a technical collaborator for Italian amateur club Ginosa.[http://www.barlettasport.it/2017/09/barletta-calcio/barletta-1922-a-bitonto-una-trasferta-insidiosa/ Barletta 1922, a Bitonto una trasferta insidiosa barlettasport.it] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111110255/http://www.barlettasport.it/2017/09/barletta-calcio/barletta-1922-a-bitonto-una-trasferta-insidiosa/ |date=2018-01-11 }}‚ barlettasport.it, 23 September 2017

Playing career

His name "Ola" means "Wealth" in Yoruba.{{cite web|url=http://www.africanholocaust.net/html_ah/africanmale_names.htm|title=African People|website=African male names|accessdate=May 20, 2014|archive-date=February 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207163521/http://africanholocaust.net/html_ah/africanmale_names.htm|url-status=dead}} Ola began his career with King Faisal Babes.

He came to Europe in 1999 and played in Switzerland for Carouge{{Cite web |url=http://ghanaweb.net/GhanaHomePage//SportsArchive/artikel.php?ID=23770 |title=Nigeria Calls Up "Ghanaian" for World Cup |access-date=2009-09-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140520220756/http://ghanaweb.net/GhanaHomePage//SportsArchive/artikel.php?ID=23770 |archive-date=2014-05-20 |url-status=dead }} before June 2000 when he was scouted by S.S. Lazio and he joined the club's reserves. The Roma based club played in the UEFA Champions League in 2000.

In 2001 Ola left the club and moved to Chievo. After 6 months he left Verona and moved to L'Aquila and played 45 games, and scored 3 goals in the Serie C1 as well.

In 2003, he was transferred to Teramo. He was sold to Cesena in co-ownership deal in summer 2007.

Ola left the club in the summer of 2008 and one year later he signed a contract with Bulgarian club Botev Plovdiv.[http://sport.plovdiv24.bg/107160.html И нигериец почна в Ботев] In May 2010 he joined Persebaya. In April 2011 he joined the Latvian side FC Jūrmala.[http://www.lff.lv/lv/virsliga/klubi/fcjurmala/ LFF: FC Jūrmala]

In August 2012, Ola was loaned to another Latvian Higher League club Daugava Daugavpils. He scored 2 goals in 14 matches and helped his team become the champions of Latvia. After the 2012 season his contract with Jūrmala expired, and Ola joined Daugava Daugavpils on permanent basis, helping the club win the Latvian Supercup in the beginning of the year.

In February 2014, Ola was transferred to the Romanian Liga II club UTA Arad alongside his former Daugava teammate Stanley Ibe.{{cite web|url=http://sportacentrs.com/futbols/virsliga/07032014-vaiculis_paraksta_lietuva_ibe_parcelsies_?is_mobile=0|title=Vaičulis paraksta Lietuvā, Ibe pārcelsies uz Rumāniju|publisher=Sportacentrs.com|date=2014-03-07|accessdate=2014-11-09}} Their club was relegated to the Liga III after the season.

In September 2014, Ola signed a 1-year deal with the Serie D side Fidelis Andria, winning the championship and being promoted to Lega Pro.

At the end of the season Ola became a free agent; in July 2015 he signed with the Italian Serie D side Bisceglie.

Coaching career

After ending his active career in 2022 with Ginosa, Ola agreed to stay on at the amateur club as a technical collaborator.{{cite web |url=https://www.tuttosportpuglia.com/news/85963738630/ginosa-daniel-ola-nello-staff-tecnico-biancoazzurro |publisher=Tutto Sport Puglia |language=it |date=6 August 2022 |accessdate=17 July 2023 |title=Ginosa: Daniel Ola nello staff tecnico biancoazzurro}}

International career

His first call on 5 August 2008 was to the Nigeria national football team against South Africa.[http://www.soccernews.com/cole-and-ola-get-nigeria-call/5037/ Cole and Ola get Nigeria call - SoccerNews.com] He was an unused substitute.