Michael Bakare
English footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Adewale A. Oluwabunmi Bakare (born 1 December 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays for Glacis United. Formerly a forward, Bakare converted to a defender later in his career.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Adewale A. Oluwabunmi Bakare[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 1 December 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Hackney, England | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Glacis United (player-coach) | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2007 | Hertford Town | ||
| 2007 | Waltham Forest | ||
| 2007–2008 | Welwyn Garden City | ||
| 2008–2009 | Leyton | ||
| 2009–2010 | Welling United | 19 | (1) |
| 2010 | Thurrock | 5 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Bishop's Stortford | 35 | (13) |
| 2011–2012 | Chelmsford City | 10 | (5) |
| 2012 | Macclesfield Town | 9 | (0) |
| 2012 | Southport | 11 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Droylsden (loan) | 1 | (1) |
| 2012–2013 | Chelmsford City | 14 | (5) |
| 2013–2014 | Dover Athletic | 12 | (1) |
| 2014 | Tonbridge Angels | 17 | (5) |
| 2014 | Braintree Town | 11 | (1) |
| 2015 | → Bury Town (loan) | 2 | (1) |
| 2015 | VCD Athletic | ||
| 2015 | Witham Town | ||
| 2015–2016 | Welling United | 21 | (3) |
| 2016–2017 | Wrexham | 8 | (0) |
| 2016 | → Billericay Town (loan) | (4) | |
| 2017 | Warrington Town | 4 | (2) |
| 2017–2020 | Connah's Quay Nomads | 81 | (30) |
| 2021 | Hereford | 1 | (1) |
| 2021 | Fjölnir | 11 | (4) |
| 2021–2022 | Leatherhead | 7 | (4) |
| 2022 | Arbroath | 2 | (0) |
| 2022 | HIFK | 11 | (2) |
| 2023 | Enfield Town | 4 | (1) |
| 2023– | Glacis United | 50 | (7) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2024–2025 | Glacis United (player-manager) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 11:42, 8 March 2025 (UTC) | |||
Career
Early career
Bakare started his senior career in the 2006–07 season, playing for Hertford Town and Waltham Forest.[2][3] The following season, Bakare signed for Welwyn Garden City.[4] In 2008, Bakare signed for Leyton, before spells with Welling United,[5] and Thurrock. In 2010, Bakare joined Bishop's Stortford.[6] It was here where he first made a real impact, converting from a full back and midfielder to a forward player.
Following an impressive 9 goals in 14 games early in the 2011/12 season, Bakare joined Conference South club Chelmsford City, in a free transfer on 19 October 2011.[7] He continued to impress at his new club, scoring 5 goals in 10 games, which earned Bakare a move to Football League side, Macclesfield Town on 17 January 2012.
Macclesfield Town
Bakare signed on a free transfer,[8] and made his first appearance as a substitute against Swindon Town on 21 January 2012. He was however limited to substitute appearances at Macclesfield, not starting a single game, and was released by the club, following their relegation at the end of the 2011/2012 season, making only 9 appearances.[9] His last game was against Southend United on 5 May 2012.
Southport
Conference National club Southport took Bakare on trial in July 2012. After a single appearance in a friendly against Skelmersdale United it was announced manager Liam Watson had signed the player to a contract for the 2012–13 season at the club's AGM on 27 July 2012.
Droylsden (loan)
In October 2012 he joined Droylsden on loan[10] and scored on his club debut on 27 October as the club beat Colwyn Bay.
2013–2016
From then on he has been somewhat of a journeyman, going on to play for Chelmsford City, Dover Athletic, Tonbridge Angels, Braintree Town, Bury Town, VCD Athletic and Witham Town[11] before rejoining his former club Welling United for the 2015/16 season.[12]
Wrexham
On 22 June 2016, he joined Wrexham, along with his Welling teammate Nortei Nortey, on a 1-year deal.[13] He made his debut for the club on the opening day of the 2016–17 season, in a 0–0 draw with Dover Athletic.[14]
On 24 November 2016, he joined Billericay Town on loan from Wrexham until January 2017. He made his debut in a league match against Metropolitan Police where he won his side a penalty before converting it himself, in a game that finished 1–1. Following the end of his loan spell, Bakare returned to Wrexham where his contract was cancelled by mutual consent on 23 January 2017.[15]
Warrington Town
Bakare signed for Warrington Town on 23 March 2017.[16]
Connah's Quay Nomads
In August 2017, Bakare joined Welsh Premier League side Connah's Quay Nomads, alongside his brother Mathias, after a successful trial period.[17] In May 2018, he scored in the Welsh Cup final, helping his team to a 4–1 win. In December 2018, Bakare extended his contract with Connah's Quay for a further year.[18]
Hereford
On 16 February 2021, Bakare joined National League North side Hereford on a short-term deal.[19]
Iceland
On 13 July 2021, Bakare signed for Icelandic 1. deild karla side Fjölnir, joining a team outside of the UK for the first time.[20]
Leatherhead
In November 2021, he returned to England and signed for Isthmian League Premier Division side Leatherhead.[21]
Arbroath
In February 2022, Bakare signed a short-term deal with Scottish Championship side Arbroath until the end of the season.[22]
HIFK
In July 2022, Bakare joined Veikkausliiga side HIFK until the end of the year.[23]
Enfield Town
In March 2023, Bakare returned to England and signed for Isthmian League Premier Division club Enfield Town on a contract till the end of the season.[24]
Glacis United
In August 2023 Bakare joined Glacis United in the Gibraltar Football League. He was appointed player-manager the following season.
