Afeez Aremu
Nigerian footballer (born 1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Afeez Aremu Olalekanⓘ(born 3 October 1999) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen.[2][3] He has also played for the Nigeria national under-20 team.[4]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Afeez Aremu Olalekan | ||
| Date of birth | 3 October 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Ibadan, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Aberdeen | ||
| Number | 32 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2013–2014 | Remo Stars | ||
| 2014–2015 | Sharks | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2016 | Sunshine Stars | 15 | (2) |
| 2016 | Rivers United | 13 | (1) |
| 2017–2018 | Akwa United | 9 | (0) |
| 2018–2020 | IK Start | 55 | (4) |
| 2020–2023 | FC St. Pauli | 54 | (0) |
| 2023–2026 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 25 | (0) |
| 2026– | Aberdeen | 10 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014–2015 | Nigeria U20[1] | ||
| 2017 | Nigeria | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20 May 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 09:42, 31 August 2020 (UTC) | |||
Career
Aremu was born in Ibadan, Nigeria. He made his league debut with Remo Stars F.C.[4] at the age of 14 in 2013–14 Nigeria National Pro League season during their terrain in the Nigerian Second Division League. He has played for several Nigeria Premier League teams, such as Sharks F.C. from where he played against Sunshine Stars F.C. and this made Sunshine Stars sign him.[5] He got stronger interest from Rivers United F.C.[6] after he played against them during the first leg of 2015–16 Nigeria Premier League season and was signed during the mid season. He won the man of the match again towards two games to the end of 2015–16 Nigeria Premier League season when Rivers United played against Akwa United F.C. and this also made Akwa United sign him in the 2017 Nigeria Premier League season.[7]
In August 2020, Aremu joined 2. Bundesliga side FC St. Pauli from Eliteserien club IK Start on a three-year contract. The transfer fee paid to IK Start was undisclosed.[8]
Having featured less since the arrival of manager Fabian Hürzeler, Aremu moved to league rivals 1. FC Kaiserslautern in August 2023.[9] The transfer was reported as being in the mid-six-figure range.[9]
On 29 January 2026, Aremu moved to Aberdeen in Scotland on a two-and-a-half-year contract.[10]
Personal life
Aremu has Yoruba tribal marks on his face, he had them since he was a baby.[11]
Career statistics
- As of match played 1 July 2026
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sunshine Stars | 2015 | NPFL | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | 15 | 2 | |
| Rivers United | 2016 | NPFL | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 | 1 | |
| Akwa United | 2017 | NPFL | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 9 | 0 | |
| Start | 2018[12] | Eliteserien | 26 | 3 | 4 | 1 | – | 30 | 4 | |
| 2019[12] | OBOS-ligaen | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 26 | 1 | ||
| 2020[12] | Eliteserien | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | ||
| Total | 55 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 5 | ||
| FC St. Pauli | 2020–21[13] | 2. Bundesliga | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 17 | 0 | |
| 2021–22[13] | 2. Bundesliga | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 24 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23[13] | 2. Bundesliga | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 18 | 0 | ||
| Total | 54 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 0 | ||
| 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 2023–24[13] | 2. Bundesliga | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | |
| 2024–25[13] | 2. Bundesliga | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 12 | 0 | ||
| 2025–26[13] | 2. Bundesliga | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 11 | 0 | ||
| Total | 25 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | ||
| Aberdeen | 2025–26[13] | Scottish Premiership | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 10 | 1 | |
| 2026–27[13] | Scottish Premiership | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 181 | 8 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 194 | 9 | ||