Birmingham City struck bizarre transfer gold after Alex McLeish decision | OneFootball

The former Nigerian frontman has a place in Birmingham history, even if his time at the club was short-lived

Obafemi Martins was a hit in the mid-2000s in the Premier League with Newcastle United, and in January 2011, he found himself back in England with Birmingham City.

The then-26-year-old arrived in Birmingham on loan from Russian top-flight side Rubin Kazan, just months after he'd joined the club from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg. He'd only spent a year in Germany, too, which was his destination following his Newcastle United departure.

Alex McLeish, the Blues manager at the time, had stressed the need for a striker with proven Premier League experience to come and bolster their frontline, as his side were teetering just above the relegation zone at the halfway point of the campaign.

In his three years at St James' Park, Martins had netted 39 goals in 105 English top-flight appearances, so he more than fit the bill, and the loan move had an option to buy at the end of the season.

Ultimately, that buy option was never acted upon, as his stint at St Andrew's was marred by injury and ended with the club suffering relegation to the Championship. However, he was responsible for arguably the greatest moment in the club's recent history, amongst this largely forgettable run.

Obafemi Martins' EFL Cup contributions live long in the memory at Birmingham City

Martins would make just six appearances during his time at Birmingham. He made his debut in a big 1-0 win over Stoke City in February, and then he appeared in a loss to his former club Newcastle just days later, both of which were in the Premier League.

He'd go on to score his first goal for the club against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup fifth round, helping the side to a 3-0 win ahead of one of the biggest games in the club's recent history against Arsenal in the EFL Cup final at Wembley.

Alex McLeish would choose Nikola Zigic to lead the line, with Martins starting on the bench. Zigic would give the Blues the lead inside half an hour, before Robin van Persie equalised for the Gunners before half-time.

As it started to look like extra time was looming, the Rubin Kazan loanee was subbed on, and he'd capitalise on a defensive mishap between Laurent Koscielny and Wojciech Szczęsny to tap the winner home just minutes from time and help pull off one of the biggest upsets in the competition's history.

That was the second and final goal he scored for the Blues. It was one of the easiest ones he'd ever scored, but it was arguably the most important in his entire career.

Obafemi Martins' loan move was a flop, but his EFL Cup final winner puts him in the Birmingham City annals

Martins would play just twice more after that in Premier League defeats against West Brom and Wigan Athletic. He'd end up scoring no goals in the four top-flight games he played during the loan spell.

After that, he was ruled out for the rest of the campaign with a stress fracture in his leg and had to watch on from the sidelines as the Blues lost five of their last six games in the campaign to see their time in the Premier League come to an end. They were relegated on the final day, despite picking up 39 points, a tally which easily guarantees survival now.

Understandably, the £4 million buy option at the end of the loan wasn't exercised by Birmingham as they prepared for life back in the Championship — a life that they've gotten pretty used to, having not returned to the top flight since, and spending 13 consecutive seasons in the second-tier before their relegation to League One in 2024.

Under the ownership of Tom Wagner, there's ambition at St Andrew's now to return to being a side capable of challenging for trophies amongst England's elite, but until then, Blues fans reminisce about that one day at Wembley where they upset Arsenal in the EFL Cup.

That's still one of the best days in recent memory for Birmingham, and despite his tenure being a non-starter outside that substitute appearance, Martins is heralded as a hero for that moment, which saw them become winners at Wembley.