Ugochukwu Iwu

Armenia's national side handed Ugochukwu Iwu his first cap in March 2023, against Turkey in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier — days after he had taken Armenian citizenship.

He came to the game in Jos, in Plateau State, and joined the academy of El-Kanemi Warriors at the age of seven. He stayed there until 2018, when he moved to Armenia in February to sign for Lori and make his senior debut. Two seasons brought him close to fifty league appearances and a handful of goals; a loan spell at Pyunik in 2019–20 added fourteen more matches.

The move that made his name came in the summer of 2020, when he joined Urartu. Over three seasons he played 84 league games and scored eight goals, and in 2022–23 he won both the Armenian Premier League and the Armenian Cup. He was named the league's Player of the Year for that season.

Rubin signed him on 16 July 2023 on a three-year contract, after Urartu's opening demands of €1.5m were settled at a reported fee of between €600,000 and €1m. He made his debut six days later. In Kazan the goals have not followed him — one in 69 league appearances by August 2026.

He has 21 caps for Armenia, with no goals, the most recent of them in October 2025. Across his career he has passed 200 professional club appearances.