John Utaka

John Utaka (born January 8, 1982) is a Nigerian football player. He has played for several clubs across three continents, first for Arab Contractors and subsequently Ismaily of Egypt, then spending a season playing for Al Sadd of Qatar, before joining Racing Lens in France. He now plays for Rennes in France. He is able to play in all attacking positions, but prefers to lurk behind the forward as a shadow striker. His best quality on the pitch is said to be his dribbling skills.

Utaka struggled to make an impact at the start of his Rennes stint. However, he took advantage of the absence of fellow striker Alexander Frei, now of Borussia Dortmund, through injury to make his breakthrough. In February 2006, he scored two consecutive hat-tricks, against Lens and Lyon, and as a result received L'Equipe's player of the month award.

He plays for Nigeria and was a participant at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He is considered an important player for the national team, playing a key role in the team's bid for the African Cup of Nations in 2004, and starting 4 out of 6 matches in the in the same tournament in 2006, both of which Nigeria finished in third place.