A small boy from the city of Kano, Nigeria dreamt to make it big in the world of football. He travelled the globe to make it happen. He wished, he aspired and worked hard to become one of the finest in the field… And then he did! 

For Jamshedpur FC, Daniel Chima Chukwu became a blessing in disguise. He established his role as a pivotal part in lifting the League Shield and etched his name in the club’s history books as well as Indian Super League’s, forever.

Chima kick-started his career at Festac Sport before joining Bussdor United on loan. After spending a year with another Norwegian club, Lyn, he joined Club Molde in 2010. A natural striker, Chima played a crucial role in Molde, contributing to the club’s first ever league championship, appearing in 24 games and scoring 5 goals in the 2011 Tippeligaen (now known as Eliteserien). One of the biggest highlights of his career between 2011 and 2014 was playing under the former Manchester United player and manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. 

After his successful period in Club Molde and then playing for Asian clubs later, Chima entered an uncharted territory looking to face even bigger challenges as he made his way into the Indian Super League when he signed up with SC East Bengal ahead of the 2021-22 season. With the SC East Bengal kit on, Chima appeared in 10 games for the Red and Gold Brigade, however he managed to net only 2 goals in the half season for SC East Bengal.  

With the end of the first half of the Hero ISL season, the January transfer window began with multiple transfers taking place amongst the clubs and Daniel Chima Chukwu became one of the big signings of the league as he departed SC East Bengal to join Jamshedpur FC mid-season. Under former Head Coach, Owen Coyle, Daniel Chima showcased his prowess in his very first game when he scored the only goal of the crucial match against FC Goa, leading to the Men of Steel taking away all 3 points by the end of the night. “I have admired him for so many years. I know him from his days at FK Molde where he was 3-times champion working with Ole (Gunnar Solskjaer). I really liked it when he came into this league,” said the former Head Coach in an interview when asked about his decision to bring in the Nigerian striker.

The sharp shooter also went on to make history; Daniel scored one of the fastest goals in the history of the club, as well as the Hero ISL against Bengaluru FC, in his second appearance on field. Chima automatically turned out to be the perfect mid-season addition for Jamshedpur FC as he went on to score and add his name on the scoresheet in almost every game that he played for the club in the remaining second half of the season, thus turning out to be a lethal striking arrow in Jamshedpur FC’s quiver. 

“When I got the call with the opportunity to switch to Jamshedpur FC, I knew I had to seize this opportunity to train under Owen Coyle who was also a striker back in the day,” said Chima in one of the post-match interviews when asked about the decision to move to Jamshedpur FC from SC East Bengal.

When the world was being sceptical of Daniel Chima’s signing by Owen Coyle and Jamshedpur FC, the top scorer of Club Molde stepped up on infinite occasions for the club, scoring goals against the top teams such as league winners, Hyderabad FC and runner-ups, Kerala Blasters, Chennaiyin FC and Odisha FC whilst ensuring that he came through with goal-scoring opportunities; Chima served his teammates with a bunch of well-constructed plays in the attacking third of the pitch as well which led to other members of the squad appearing on the scoresheet. Not only did Chima register 9 goals in the 2021-22 season with a goal conversion rate of 21% but he was also one of the contenders in the ‘Golden Boot award’ race. He also appeared in the list of the players with the most shots on target which shows his exceptional potential on the pitch.

Thanks to his brilliance and dominance in the front end of the pitch, Jamshedpur FC came closer to creating history as they earned their first silverware, lifting the Hero ISL League Shield and becoming the #1 team in the country, sitting proudly at the top of the league table.