Daniel Shittu is a professional football player who was born on September 2, 1980 in Lagos, Nigeria. Also known as Danny, he was originally christened Daniel Olusola Shittu, where “Olusola” is a nickname for the Yoruba name “Oluwanisola”, which means “God creates wealth”. His brother, Richard Shittu is also a footballer and plays for a non-league side.
In April 2002, he was called in to play for his national side, Nigeria, at Loftus Road in a match against Paraguay. Daniel Shittu was also included in the team for the 2008 African Cup of Nations, and till date, he has capped twelve times for his national side.
Daniel Shittu started his football career by playing for the Under-19 team against Derby in a Football Association (FA) Premier Academy League. In 1999, he signed to play for Charlton Athletic and on November 13 that year, he played for the Under-19 side of the club, which defeated the young Canaries 2-0. In 2001, he played for Blackpool as a loan player and made 17 appearances for the side scoring two goals, out of which, his first goal came in his debut match.
After his stint at Blackpool, Daniel Shittu was transferred to Queens Park Rangers on loan and played 7 matches and scored one goal. At the end of his tenure as a loan player, Daniel Shittu signed a contract worth £250,000 with Queens Park Rangers in January 2002. He had a successful stint at this club and made 162 appearances and found the net on sixteen occasions. In March 2006 Four Four Two, a football magazine, listed Daniel Shittu as their 20th best player performing in the Football League.
After his contract period with Queens Park Rangers, Daniel Shittu was signed for Ade Boothroyd’s Watford for £1.6 million. He scored his first goal for the club on November 7, 2006 against Newcastle United in the Carling Cup, where he headed the ball past Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper to give his team the lead during the match. Daniel Shittu managed to score his first Premier League goal in a 2-0 win at Reading on May 5, 2007.
On August 6, 2008, he was signed to play for Bolton Wanderers, a football club managed by Gary Megson. The contract, whose worth was undisclosed, would keep Daniel Shittu in the club for three years.
