Dele Adebola facts for kids
Adebola in 2008 while playing for Bristol City
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bamberdele Olusegun Adebola | ||
| Date of birth | 23 June 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Lagos, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| ?–1992 | Crewe Alexandra | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1992–1998 | Crewe Alexandra | 123 | (39) |
| 1993–1994 | → Bangor City (loan) | 4 | (2) |
| 1994 | → Northwich Victoria (loan) | 16 | (7) |
| 1998–2002 | Birmingham City | 129 | (31) |
| 2002 | → Oldham Athletic (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | Crystal Palace | 39 | (5) |
| 2003–2008 | Coventry City | 163 | (31) |
| 2004 | → Burnley (loan) | 3 | (1) |
| 2004 | → Bradford City (loan) | 15 | (3) |
| 2008–2009 | Bristol City | 56 | (16) |
| 2009–2011 | Nottingham Forest | 62 | (5) |
| 2011–2012 | Hull City | 10 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Notts County (loan) | 6 | (1) |
| 2012–2013 | Rochdale | 26 | (6) |
| 2013 | → Wrexham (loan) | 13 | (2) |
| 2013 | Rushall Olympic | ||
| 2024– | Leamington Veterans | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Bamberdele Olusegun Adebola (born 23 June 1975) is a retired Nigerian footballer who played as a striker. He was known for his long and varied career, playing for 16 different clubs. His longest times were with Crewe Alexandra, Birmingham City, and Coventry City.
Contents
Early Life and Career Start
Adebola was born in Lagos, Nigeria, but he grew up in Liverpool, England, after his family moved there when he was a baby. As a young boy, he was a talented footballer and played on the same teams as future England star Robbie Fowler.
He was a big fan of Liverpool and was offered a youth training spot with the team. However, he worried that he and Fowler, who was also a left-footed striker, would be competing for the same position. So, he made a tough choice and accepted an offer from Crewe Alexandra instead.
Club Career
Crewe Alexandra
Adebola started playing for Crewe Alexandra's first team when he was just 17 years old. To get more experience, he was sent on loan to two other clubs: Bangor City in Wales and Northwich Victoria.
He had a breakout season in 1996–97, scoring 16 goals. His goals were a huge help in getting Crewe promoted to a higher league, the First Division. He continued to score goals at this higher level, which made bigger clubs interested in him. In February 1998, Birmingham City bought him for £1 million.
Birmingham City
Adebola had a fantastic start at Birmingham City. He scored seven goals in the rest of the season and scored in his first five games of the next season. He scored 13 goals in his first full season with the team.
However, his form dipped the next year, and the club put him on the transfer list, meaning they were willing to sell him. A move to a Spanish club, Las Palmas, fell through.
Even though he was on the transfer list, Adebola returned to the team and played well. His goals helped Birmingham reach the 2001 Football League Cup Final. Sadly, a serious knee injury, which happened when he slid into a goalpost, ended his time at Birmingham. After a short loan to Oldham Athletic to get fit again, his contract was not renewed.
Crystal Palace and Coventry City
In 2002, Adebola joined Crystal Palace for one year. He proved he was fit again by playing in 48 games. After that, he moved to Coventry City.
At first, he struggled at Coventry and was loaned out to Burnley and then Bradford City. But when he was brought back to Coventry's main team in the 2004–05 season, his performance greatly improved. He formed a strong partnership with other strikers like Stern John and Gary McSheffrey.
Bristol City
In January 2008, Adebola signed with Bristol City. He scored on his home debut and had a great 2008–09 season, scoring 10 goals. His excellent performances earned him the club's Player of the Year award. Bristol City offered him a new one-year contract, but he turned it down for a longer deal at another club.
Nottingham Forest and Hull City
On 30 June 2009, Adebola joined Nottingham Forest on a two-year contract. He often came on as a substitute but still played an important role, especially in away games. He even scored a goal in a play-off semi-final match against Blackpool.
After his time at Forest, he signed a one-year deal with Hull City in 2011.
Later Career
As his career went on, Adebola played for several more clubs. He went on loan to Notts County from Hull City. In 2012, he signed with Rochdale.
In 2013, he was loaned to Wrexham, where he played in the Conference play-off final at the famous Wembley Stadium. After a final stop at non-league club Rushall Olympic, Adebola retired from professional football.
As of 2024, Adebola plays for a local veterans team, Leamington Veterans, alongside another former Coventry player, David Busst.
International Career
Because Adebola was born in Nigeria but grew up as a British citizen, he was eligible to play for several national teams. In 1998, the manager of Northern Ireland wanted him to join their team. Adebola was interested but had to pull out due to an injury.
That same year, he was also named in the Nigeria's large, preliminary squad for the 1998 World Cup, but he didn't make the final team.
Both countries continued to show interest in him. For a while, Adebola hoped he might one day play for England. He was also considered for Nigeria's squad for the 2000 African Cup of Nations, but in the end, he never played a senior international match for any country.
Honours
Crewe Alexandra
- Football League Second Division play-offs: 1997
Birmingham City
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2000–01
See also
In Spanish: Dele Adebola para niños
