Simeon Akinola

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Akinola moved to Madrid aged three. He started playing futsal aged nine before joining Alcorcón after a successful trial,^[4][5] later moving to London.^[6]

He joined the academy at Boreham Wood, and made his senior debut in January 2011, a season in which he scored 53 goals for the reserve team.^[4][7] He was loaned out to Billericay Town in November 2011,^[8] and then Harrow Borough in February 2012,^[9] before signing for Borough permanently for a fee of £2,400, set by tribunal after Boreham Wood rejected an initial offer of £750.^[10]

In August 2014, Akinola joined Braintree Town for an undisclosed fee.^[5]

He joined Barnet on 1 January 2017 for a fee of £40,000.^[11] He made his debut the following day against Plymouth Argyle^[12]

On 31 August 2017 - transfer deadline day - Barnet agreed terms with Lincoln City for the transfer of Akinola, pending verification from the EFL.^[13][14] On 5 September it was confirmed that the EFL had refused to ratify the transfer and that Akinola would remain at Barnet.^[15] He left the club at the end of the 2019–20 season, having scored 24 goals in 106 games.^[16]

On 17 September 2020, Akinola signed for Southend United on a two-year deal with an option for a third.^[17] In November 2020 it was reported that Akinola's debut for the Shrimpers was being held up by an embargo on player registrations against the club.^[18]

Akinola made his Southend United debut on 12 December 2020, starting in a 1–0 win at Roots Hall over Scunthorpe United.^[19]

On 8 October 2022, Akinola signed for National League side Wealdstone.^[20] He scored his first goal for the club on the same day, scoring in his first appearance from the bench, in a 2–1 defeat to Boreham Wood.^[21] Akinola made seven appearances before leaving the club.

Akinola is eligible to play for Nigeria and Spain at international level. He was called up by England C in May 2015, but was forced to withdraw.^[22]

Akinola has a degree in systems engineering from the University of Westminster.^[23] In February 2023, he joined J.P. Morgan & Co. through its athlete transition programme.^[24]

As of 3 December 2022