 Akinbiyi in 2009 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Adeola Oluwatoyin Akinbiyi[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1974-10-10)10 October 1974 (age 51)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Hackney, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Senrab | |||
| 1991–1993 | Norwich City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993–1997 | Norwich City | 49 | (3) |
| 1994 | →Hereford United (loan) | 4 | (2) |
| 1994 | →Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 7 | (4) |
| 1997–1998 | Gillingham | 63 | (28) |
| 1998–1999 | Bristol City | 47 | (21) |
| 1999–2000 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 37 | (16) |
| 2000–2002 | Leicester City | 58 | (11) |
| 2002–2003 | Crystal Palace | 24 | (3) |
| 2003 | →Stoke City (loan) | 4 | (2) |
| 2003–2005 | Stoke City | 59 | (17) |
| 2005–2006 | Burnley | 39 | (16) |
| 2006–2007 | Sheffield United | 18 | (3) |
| 2007–2009 | Burnley | 70 | (10) |
| 2009 | Houston Dynamo | 14 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Notts County | 10 | (0) |
| 2013–2015 | Colwyn Bay | 2 | (0) |
| Total | 505 | (136) | |
| International career | |||
| 1999 | Nigeria | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Adeola Oluwatoyin Akinbiyi (born 10 October 1974) is a football coach and former professionalfootballer.
As a player he was aforward who notably played in thePremier League forNorwich City,Leicester City andSheffield United, as well as inMajor League Soccer withHouston Dynamo. He has had a much-travelled career with many different clubs with transfer fees totalling more than £11.5 million during his career, including being Leicester City's record signing (at £5.3 million) at the time.[3] He also played in theFootball League withHereford United,Brighton & Hove Albion,Gillingham,Bristol City,Wolverhampton Wanderers,Crystal Palace,Stoke City,Burnley andNotts County. Born in England, Akinbiyi qualified to play for theNigeria national team through his parents, and earned onecap for Nigeria in 1999.
In 2013 he was appointed as player-coach at non-league sideColwyn Bay. He remained with the club for several seasons before taking up a sports consultancy role in Africa.
Akinbiyi began his career as a trainee atNorwich City, where he worked his way up into the first team in 1992. He made his début on 3 November 1993 as a substitute against German clubBayern Munich in theUEFA Cup.The match ended 1–1, meaning that Norwich won the second round tie 3–2 on aggregate and went on to faceInter Milan, who eliminated them.[4] He was loaned toHereford United andBrighton & Hove Albion before completing a £250,000 move toGillingham in 1997.[5] He scored 29 goals in 67 league and cup games for the Gills and was quickly transferred to newly promotedFirst Division sideBristol City for £1.2 million.[6]
Akinbiyi's stock continued to rise and after scoring 21 goals for Bristol City in the1998–99 season,Wolverhampton Wanderers paid a club record £3.5 million for him in September 1999 in an attempt to replaceRobbie Keane. He played only one season atMolineux, finishing as the club's top goalscorer with 16 goals but Wolves just missed out on a playoff place.
Ten months after arriving at Wolves, he departed toPremier League clubLeicester City for £5.5 million,[7] a decision he would later regret.[8] Brought in as a replacement forEmile Heskey (who left forLiverpool for £11 million), he failed to live up to expectations, scoring only 11 goals in 58 league appearances.[6]
His spell at Leicester hit rock bottom in a 4–1 defeat at home to Liverpool. He missed four easy chances, including a miss from six yards in the last minute. He was booed by Leicester fans whose patience with Akinbiyi had run out.[9] Soon after, he scored his first league goal of the season in a crucial 1–0 win at home toSunderland,[10] which prompted him to say that "hopefully this will start a flood of goals for me".[11]
Leicester transferred Akinbiyi toCrystal Palace for £2.2 million in February 2002.[12] On arrival he took the surprisingly high number 55 shirt, adding a very small plus sign between the numbers to signify his preferred shirt number, 10, which was already taken. Having scored just one goal in 14 league and cup appearances,[10][13] he was loaned out toStoke City in 2003.[14] He scored twice – the second goal coming in the last game of the2002–03 season,[13] when the Potters beatReading 1–0 to retain their second tier status.[15] He later joined on a permanent basis, on a free transfer in September 2003.[16] He scored ten goals in2003–04 and won thePlayer of the Year award.[17][18] In2004–05, Akinbiyi scored seven goals in 30 matches and was subject to bids fromSheffield United.[19][20][21][22] All of Sheffield United's offers were turned down by Stoke but an offer fromBurnley was accepted.[23]
Akinbiyi completed a £600,000 move toBurnley in February 2005, but marked his debut by getting sent off within two minutes for head buttingSunderland playerGeorge McCartney. After netting 16 times forthe Clarets,[6] he moved toSheffield United for a then club record £1.75 million in January 2006.[24]
Akinbiyi scored on his debut forthe Blades againstDerby County, and endeared himself to fans by scoring in his firstSteel City derby atHillsborough.[25] After winning promotion,[26] Akinbiyi made only five appearances forthe Blades in the Premier League in 2006.[27] It was also reported that he was involved in a training ground bust-up with teammateClaude Davis in October 2006 following a 2–0 defeat againstEverton in which Davis had been sent off.[28]
Akinbiyi was soon resold to Burnley in January 2007 for a fee of £650,000 with a further £100,000 to be paid in the summer of 2007.[29] His second debut for the Clarets was more successful, scoring a goal against top flightReading in theFA Cup.[27]
During the rest of the2006–07 season, Akinbiyi was not as successful as during his first spell atTurf Moor, scoring three goals.[27] This was attributed bySteve Cotterill to Akinbiyi having spent too much time in the weights room at Sheffield United and as a result being too bulky.[30] He was given the number nine shirt for the2007–08 season but found himself behindAndy Gray andRobbie Blake as a first choice striker. After going back to Burnley, Akinbiyi lacked consistent form, finding goals harder to come by. His hard work and endeavour made him a firm fans' favourite.[31] During the2008–09 season, his regular position on the bench was taken by youngsterJay Rodriguez, a player who he had been mentoring.[31] However, Akinbiyi regained his place on the bench in the fifth round of theLeague Cup againstChelsea atStamford Bridge and in the 69th minute he scored to make the game 1–1 and take it into extra time.[32] Burnley won 5–4 on penalties. While at Burnley, Steve Cotterill, Burnley's then manager, banned him from the gym.[30] "I wasn't playing at Sheffield so the only thing I was doing was weights. We didn't even have reserve games and it was something to do. I put on a bit too much muscle and I lost about a yard of pace", he said. "I try to stay away from the weights room now. I'm sort of addicted."
On 26 March 2009, Akinbiyi was reported to be in talks about a move to the United States to joinMajor League Soccer clubHouston Dynamo.[33] On 30 March, Akinbiyi was officially unveiled as a Houston player.[34] He made his MLS debut on 3 May, as a latesubstitute in a game againstNew England Revolution.[35]
To make room on the roster forLuis Ángel Landín, the club's firstDesignated Player, the Dynamo released Akinbiyi on 20 August 2009.[36]
After his release by Houston, Akinbiyi agreed terms withLeague Two sideNotts County.[3] He made his debut on 17 October 2009 in a 0–0 draw againstRotherham United, coming on as a substitute forLee Hughes in the 82nd minute.[37]
On 10 May 2010, it was announced that he had been released by Notts County along with seven other players.[38]
In January 2011, after eight months without a club, Akinbiyi was on the verge of joiningNewport County in theConference National. He had been training with Premier League clubStoke City, and was recommended to Newport by Stoke's Newport-born managerTony Pulis; Pulis had been Akinbiyi's manager at Stoke between 2003 and 2005.[39] However, Newport subsequently pulled out of the deal.
Akinbiyi spent the next two years as a free agent.
Having been without a club for three years, he was widely assumed to have retired from football by the time of his signing forConference North sideColwyn Bay, as player-coach on 25 July 2013.[40] He left Colwyn in January 2015.[41]
Born inHackney, London[1] to Nigerian parents, Akinbiyi qualified to play internationally forNigeria, and through his birthplace forEngland. He was called up on three occasions forNigeria, playing once in 1999 againstGreece inKilkis,Central Macedonia.[42]
Akinbiyi has worked as a sports academy consultant and largely in both Nigeria and Ghana.[43]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Norwich City | 1993–94[44] | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1994–95[44] | Premier League | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ― | 16 | 0 | ||
| 1995–96[45] | First Division | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ― | 25 | 5 | ||
| 1996–97[46] | First Division | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ― | 14 | 0 | ||
| Total | 49 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 5 | ||
| Hereford United (loan) | 1993–94[6] | Third Division | 4 | 2 | ― | ― | ― | 4 | 2 | |||
| Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 1994–95[6] | Second Division | 7 | 4 | ― | ― | ― | 7 | 4 | |||
| Gillingham | 1996–97[46] | Second Division | 19 | 7 | ― | ― | ― | 19 | 7 | |||
| 1997–98[47] | Second Division | 44 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 49 | 22 | |
| Total | 63 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 68 | 29 | ||
| Bristol City | 1998–99[48] | First Division | 44 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | – | 49 | 23 | |
| 1999–2000[49] | Second Division | 3 | 2 | – | 1 | 0 | – | 4 | 2 | |||
| Total | 47 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | – | 53 | 25 | |||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1999–2000[49] | First Division | 37 | 16 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 40 | 16 | ||
| Leicester City | 2000–01[50] | Premier League | 37 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 43 | 10 |
| 2001–02[10] | Premier League | 21 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | 24 | 3 | ||
| Total | 58 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 67 | 13 | ||
| Crystal Palace | 2001–02[10] | First Division | 14 | 2 | – | – | – | 14 | 2 | |||
| 2002–03[13] | First Division | 10 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 14 | 1 | ||
| Total | 24 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 28 | 3 | |||
| Stoke City (loan) | 2002–03[13] | First Division | 4 | 2 | – | – | – | 4 | 2 | |||
| Stoke City | 2003–04[17] | First Division | 30 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ― | 32 | 10 | |
| 2004–05[19] | Championship | 29 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ― | 30 | 7 | ||
| Total | 63 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ― | 66 | 19 | |||
| Burnley | 2004–05[19] | Championship | 10 | 4 | ― | ― | ― | 10 | 4 | |||
| 2005–06[25] | Championship | 29 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ― | 33 | 14 | ||
| Total | 39 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ― | 43 | 18 | |||
| Sheffield United | 2005–06[25] | Championship | 15 | 3 | ― | ― | ― | 15 | 3 | |||
| 2006–07[27] | Premier League | 3 | 0 | ― | 2 | 1 | ― | 5 | 1 | |||
| Total | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ― | 20 | 4 | |||
| Burnley | 2006–07[27] | Championship | 20 | 2 | 1 | 1 | ― | ― | 21 | 3 | ||
| 2007–08[51] | Championship | 39 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | ― | 43 | 9 | ||
| 2008–09[32] | Championship | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | ― | 15 | 1 | ||
| Total | 70 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 2 | ― | 79 | 13 | |||
| Houston Dynamo | 2009[52] | Major League Soccer | 14 | 0 | 3 | 1 | ― | 1[c] | 0 | 18 | 1 | |
| Notts County | 2009–10[37] | League Two | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ― | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| Colwyn Bay | 2013–14[35] | Conference North | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ― | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2014–15[35] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ― | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ― | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 505 | 136 | 21 | 4 | 27 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 564 | 152 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 1999 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
Burnley
Notts County
Individual
