Adeleke Akinyemi
Nigerian professional footballer
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Adeleke Akinola Akinyemi ⓘ(born 11 August 1998) is a Nigerian professional footballer playing as a forward for Veikkausliiga club Ilves.[2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Adeleke Akinola Akinyemi | ||
| Date of birth | 11 August 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Lagos, Nigeria[1] | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ilves | ||
| Number | 27 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Real Sapphire | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015 | Serdarlı GB | 13 | (10) |
| 2015–2016 | Skënderbeu Korçë | 0 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | → Trepça'89 (loan) | 16 | (10) |
| 2017–2018 | Ventspils | 40 | (23) |
| 2018–2021 | Start | 32 | (3) |
| 2020 | → HamKam (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2021–2023 | KF Laçi | 35 | (9) |
| 2023–2024 | Karviná | 46 | (10) |
| 2024 | Karviná B | 3 | (1) |
| 2024– | Ilves | 28 | (5) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19 November 2025 | |||
Club career
Serdarlı GB
On 24 January 2015, Akinyemi signed for KTFF Süper Lig side Serdarlı GB. He played 13 matches in the league, scoring 10 goals. In total, he played 17 matches and scored 11 goals for the Turkish Cypriot side during the 2014–15 season.[3]
Ventspils
In early August 2018, Akinyemi went AWOL, resulting in his club, FK Ventspils filling a missing persons report amid fear the player had been kidnapped.[4][5][6] Akinyemi returned to Ventspils a few days later, 13 August, playing in their win over FK Liepāja on the same day.[7]
Start
On 16 August 2018, IK Start announced the signing of Akinyemi, on a contract until the end of the 2021 season, from FK Ventspils.[8] After scoring 3 goals in Start's 2018 campaign which ended in relegation, in the 2019 1. divisjon season opener he broke his ankle.[9] He was sidelined for a long time and failed to break into Start's first team after that. The former top scorer did not manage any goals during a loan to Hamkam in 2020 either.[2] Following a goalless league run in 2021,[10] Start decided to release him after the end of the 2021 season.[11]
Karviná
On 6 February 2023, Karviná announced the signing of Akinyemi, from KF Laçi.[12]
Ilves
On 27 August 2024, Akinyemi joined Ilves in Finnish Veikkausliiga, signing a deal for the rest of the season with an option for the 2025.[13] On 1 September, Akiyemi scored in his Ilves debut, in a 1–1 away draw against Gnistan in the league. On 18 February 2024, he signed a new 1+1-year deal with Ilves.[14]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Serdarlı GB | 2014–15 | KTFF Süper Lig | 13 | 10 | – | – | – | 13 | 10 | |||
| Skënderbeu Korçë | 2015–16 | Kategoria Superiore | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | |
| Trepça'89 (loan) | 2015–16 | Kosovo Superleague | 16 | 10 | – | – | – | 16 | 10 | |||
| Ventspils | 2017 | Virslīga | 23 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | – | 30 | 17 | |
| 2018 | Virslīga | 17 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | – | 22 | 20 | ||
| Total | 40 | 23 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | – | 52 | 37 | |||
| Start | 2018 | Eliteserien | 12 | 3 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 14 | 3 | ||
| 2019 | 1. divisjon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2020 | Eliteserien | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | 3 | 0 | ||||
| 2021 | 1. divisjon | 16 | 0 | 3 | 4 | – | – | 19 | 4 | |||
| Total | 32 | 3 | 5 | 4 | – | – | 37 | 7 | ||||
| HamKam (loan) | 2020 | 1. divisjon | 8 | 0 | – | – | – | 8 | 0 | |||
| KF Laçi | 2021–22 | Kategoria Superiore | 16 | 3 | 3 | 2 | – | – | 19 | 5 | ||
| 2022–23 | Kategoria Superiore | 19 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 24 | 6 | ||
| Total | 35 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | – | 43 | 11 | |||
| Karviná | 2022–23 | FNL | 14 | 6 | – | – | – | 14 | 6 | |||
| 2023–24 | Czech First League | 32 | 4 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 33 | 4 | |||
| Total | 46 | 10 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 47 | 10 | ||||
| Karviná B | 2023–24 | MSFL | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2024–25 | MSFL | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 | 1 | |||||
| Ilves | 2024 | Veikkausliiga | 6 | 3 | – | – | – | 6 | 3 | |||
| 2025 | Veikkausliiga | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 | |
| Total | 15 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 5 | ||
| Career total | 208 | 31 | 18 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 236 | 51 | ||
Honours
MFK Karviná
Ventspils
- Latvian Cup: 2017
Ilves
- Veikkausliiga runner-up: 2024[16]
Individual
- Virslīga top goalscorer: 2017
- Veikkausliiga Player of the Month: September 2024