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Jonathan Afolabi

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Jonathan Afolabi
Personal information
Date of birth (2000-01-14) 14 January 2000 (age 26)
Place of birth Dublin, Ireland
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
 Shamrock Rovers
Number 18
Youth career
Marks Celtic
Shamrock Rovers
St Joseph's Boys
2016–2019 Southampton
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2022 Celtic 0 (0)
2020 → Dunfermline Athletic (loan) 6 (2)
2020–2021 → Dundee (loan) 19 (3)
2021–2022 → Ayr United (loan) 14 (1)
2022 → Airdrieonians (loan) 12 (2)
2022–2023 Bohemians 37 (15)
2024–2026 Kortrijk 15 (2)
2024–2025 → Cambuur (loan) 15 (2)
2026– Shamrock Rovers 2 (1)
International career
Republic of Ireland U17
2017–2019 Republic of Ireland U19 16 (6)
2019–2021 Republic of Ireland U21 5 (1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19:04, 10 August 2026

Jonathan Afolabi (born 14 January 2000) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a forward for League of Ireland Premier Division club Shamrock Rovers. His previous clubs include Celtic, Dunfermline Athletic, Dundee, Ayr United, Airdrieonians, Bohemians, Kortrijk and Cambuur.

Club career

[edit]

Early career

[edit]

Born and raised in Tallaght, Dublin, Ireland, Afolabi played his youth football with Marks Celtic,[1] Shamrock Rovers, Lourdes Celtic, and St Joseph's Boys before earning a move to the Academy of Premier League club Southampton.[2]

Celtic

[edit]

On 21 August 2019, Afolabi joined Scottish Premiership Champions Celtic.[3]

After various loan spells, his contract was not renewed on expiry at the end of June 2022.[4]

Dunfermline Athletic (loan)

[edit]

On 27 January 2020, Afolabi signed for Dunfermline Athletic of the Scottish Championship on loan until the end of the season.[5] His debut in senior football came on 1 February 2020, in a 3–2 win away to Queen of the South.[6] He made six appearances for the club, scoring twice, before the season was ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]

Dundee (loan)

[edit]

On 29 September 2020, Afolabi joined Dundee on a season-long loan.[8] He scored his first goal for the club at home in the league against Greenock Morton. He scored against Hearts and Ayr United in crucial games for Dundee as they won the promotion playoffs in the 2020–21 season.[9]

Ayr United (loan)

[edit]

On 2 August 2021, Afolabi signed for Ayr United on loan until the end of the season.[10]

Airdrieonians (loan)

[edit]

On 11 February 2022, Afolabi was recalled from Ayr and was immediately sent on loan to Scottish League One side Airdrieonians for the rest of the season.[11]

Bohemians

[edit]

On 5 August 2022, Afolabi returned home to Dublin, signing for League of Ireland Premier Division club Bohemians.[12] Afolabi was awarded the League of Ireland Player of the Month award for July 2023, after scoring nine total goals over seven consecutive games.[13][14] He finished the 2023 League of Ireland Premier Division season as the joint-top league goalscorer and was named in the PFAI Team of the Year. He opened the scoring in the 2023 FAI Cup final but the Bohs lost the game to St Patrick's Athletic.[15]

Kortrijk

[edit]

On 29 December 2023, it was announced that Afolabi would be joining Belgian Pro League side Kortrijk for an undisclosed fee, from 1 January 2024 on a contract until June 2026.[16] Afolabi made his debut on 20 January 2024, coming on as a substitute in a league victory away to Standard Liège.[17] Afolabi scored his first goal for De Kerels in a league draw away to Club Brugge.[18] In July 2024, he was subject to a bid from Turkish Süper Lig side Sivasspor for a reported fee of €550,000, but the move didn't materialise in the end.[19] After spending the 2024–25 season out on loan at Cambuur, he returned to the club for the 2025–26 season, but after making just 2 appearances that season it was announced on 9 May 2026 that he would be released by Kortrijk at the end of his contract.[20]

Cambuur loan

[edit]

On 2 September 2024, Afolabi signed for Eerste Divisie club Cambuur on a season long loan.[21] In April 2025, Cambuur manager Henk de Jong confirmed that Afolabi would no longer play for the club due to being 'difficult'.[22] On 9 May 2026, Kortrijk announced the departure of Afolabi at the end of the season.[23]

Shamrock Rovers

[edit]

On 4 July 2026, Afolabi returned to Ireland, signing a multi-year contract with Shamrock Rovers, where he had previously played in his academy days.[24][25] On 14 July 2026 he made his debut for the club, replacing Graham Burke from the bench in a 5–1 win over Floriana in the UEFA Champions League.[26] On 7 August 2026, he scored his first goal for the club, the winner in a 3–2 victory at home to Dundalk.[27]

International career

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Afolabi was born in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.[28] Afolabi has played for the Ireland right up to under-21 level. On 31 July 2019 he was named in the 2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship Team of the Tournament, alongside Ferran Torres and Félix Correia in the forward positions.[29] He scored his first goal for the Republic of Ireland U21s on 26 March 2021 in a 2–1 friendly win over Wales U21 in Wrexham.[30]

On 8 September 2023, he received his first call up to the senior Republic of Ireland squad when he was included in the extended squad for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier at home to the Netherlands,[31] but did not make the final squad.[32][33]

Career statistics

[edit]
As of match played on 7 August 2026[34]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Southampton 2016–17[35] Premier League 000000001[c]010
2017–18[36] Premier League 000000—2[c]020
2018–19[37] Premier League 000000—2[c]020
Total 000000005050
Celtic 2019–20[38] Scottish Premiership 0000—00—00
2020–21[39] Scottish Premiership 00——00—00
2021–22[40] Scottish Premiership 00——00—00
Total 00000000—00
Dunfermline Athletic (loan) 2019–20[38] Scottish Championship 6200———62
Dundee (loan) 2020–21[39] Scottish Championship 1932110——224
Ayr United (loan) 2021–22[40] Scottish Championship 1411010—0[d]0161
Airdrieonians (loan) 2021–22[40] Scottish League One 122———3[e]1153
Bohemians 2022[41] League of Ireland Premier Division 3011———41
2023[42] League of Ireland Premier Division 341555——1[f]04020
Total 371566——104421
Kortrijk 2023–24[42] Belgian Pro League 131———0[g]0131
2024–25[43] Belgian Pro League 0000———00
2025–26[44] Challenger Pro League 2100———21
Total 15200——00152
Cambuur (loan) 2024–25[43] Eerste Divisie 14200——0[h]0142
Shamrock Rovers 2026 League of Ireland Premier Division 2100—4[i]0—61
Career total 119289720409114336
  1. ↑ Includes Scottish Cup, FAI Cup, Belgian Cup & KNVB Cup
  2. ↑ Includes Scottish League Cup
  3. 1 2 3 Appearances for Southampton U21/U23 in the EFL Trophy
  4. ↑ Appearances in the Scottish Challenge Cup
  5. ↑ Appearances in the Scottish Championship play-offs
  6. ↑ Appearance in the Leinster Senior Cup
  7. ↑ Appearances in the 2023–24 Belgian Pro League Promotion/relegation play-offs
  8. ↑ Appearances in the 2024–25 Eerste Divisie Promotion/relegation play-offs
  9. ↑ 3 appearances in the UEFA Champions League; 1 appearance in the UEFA Europa League

Honours

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Dundee

Bohemians

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Connor, William O. (29 December 2023). "Striker Jonathan Afolabi joins Belgian club".
  2. ↑ "Extratime.ie – Jonathan Afolabi". www.extratime.ie.
  3. ↑ "Jonathan Afolabi: Celtic sign forward from Southampton on three-year deal". BBC Sport. 21 August 2019.
  4. ↑ Sullivan, Joe (7 July 2022). "Ross Doohan moves to Tranmere Rovers". Celtic F.C. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  5. ↑ "Jonathan Afolabi signs for Pars | Dunfermline Athletic Football Club". dafc.co.uk.
  6. ↑ "Queen of the South vs. Dunfermline Athletic – 1 February 2020 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  7. ↑ "Republic of Ireland - J. Afolabi - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". ie.soccerway.com.
  8. ↑ "Jonathan joins". Dundee FC. 29 September 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  9. ↑ "Dundee v Greenock Morton". BBC. 24 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  10. ↑ "United sign Afolabi". Ayr United FC. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  11. ↑ "Celt Afolabi makes Diamonds loan switch". airdrie. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  12. ↑ "Bohs announce signing of Ireland U-21 cap Jonathan Afolabi from Celtic". independent.
  13. ↑ Team, Extratime. "Jonathan Afolabi crowned SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers Ireland Player of the Month for July". extratime.com. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  14. ↑ "In-form Jonathan Afolabi hoping to keep run going in crucial Dublin derby". Independent.ie. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  15. ↑ "'Hurt' Declan Devine offers no defence as clinical Saints punish Bohs". Independent.ie. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  16. ↑ Kelly, Niall (29 December 2023). "Jonathan Afalobi leaves Bohs for move to Belgian top-flight club". The42.ie. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  17. ↑ "Standard Liège vs. Kortrijk - 20 January 2024 - Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  18. ↑ "Club Brugge 3-3 KV Kortrijk (30 Jan, 2024) Final Score - ESPN (UK)". ESPN. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  19. ↑ "Bohemians set for cut of Jonathan Afolabi fee if Turkish move goes through". Irish Independent. 30 July 2024.
  20. ↑ "Bedankt!".
  21. ↑ "Jonathan Afolabi nieuwe spits van SC Cambuur" [Jonathan Afolabi new striker of SC Cambuur] (in Dutch). SC Cambuur. 2 September 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  22. ↑ "Jonathan Afolabi komt dit seizoen niet meer in actie voor SC Cambuur". Leeuwarder Courant (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 5 April 2025. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  23. ↑ "Bedankt!". KV Kortrijk (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  24. ↑ Rovers, Shamrock (5 July 2026). "Signing News - Jonathan Afolabi 5 July 2026".
  25. ↑ Riordan, Emmet. "Shamrock Rovers complete signing of striker Jonathan Afolabi ahead of European campaign". The Irish Times.
  26. ↑ Stadium, Gavin Cummiskey at Tallaght. "Shamrock Rovers hit Floriana for five as Pico Lopes makes hero's return". The Irish Times.
  27. ↑ Buttner, Paul (7 August 2026). "Afolabi hits winner against Dundalk to send Rovers 10 points clear". The 42.
  28. ↑ Fennessy, Paul (27 June 2019). "'My ma wants me to play for Nigeria... But I've been playing with Ireland for a long time'". The42.
  29. ↑ "Afolabi honoured to make Team of the Tournament | Football Association of Ireland". www.fai.ie.
  30. ↑ "U21s comeback to beat Wales". www.fai.ie. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  31. ↑ "Stephen Kenny selects 25-man squad for France & Netherlands | Football Association of Ireland". fai.ie.
  32. ↑ "Republic of Ireland - Netherlands | 2024 - UEFA European Qualifiers | 2036407 | Football Association of Ireland". www.fai.ie.
  33. ↑ "QPR man Sinclair Armstrong makes the cut for Dutch tie but Bohs' Jonathan Afolabi misses out". Independent.ie. 10 September 2023.
  34. ↑ "Republic of Ireland – J. Afolabi – Profile with news, career statistics and history – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  35. ↑ "Games played by Jonathan Afolabi in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  36. ↑ "Games played by Jonathan Afolabi in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  37. ↑ "Games played by Jonathan Afolabi in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  38. 1 2 "Games played by Jonathan Afolabi in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  39. 1 2 "Games played by Jonathan Afolabi in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  40. 1 2 3 "Games played by Jonathan Afolabi in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  41. ↑ "Games played by Jonathan Afolabi in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  42. 1 2 "Games played by Jonathan Afolabi in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  43. 1 2 "Games played by Jonathan Afolabi in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  44. ↑ "Games played by Jonathan Afolabi in 205/206". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  45. ↑ "Dundee promoted as Kilmarnock drop down for first time in 28 years". BBC. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  46. ↑ Dempsey, Andrew. "Bohemians secure Leinster Senior Cup crown with win over Usher Celtic". extratime.com. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  47. ↑ "2019 U19 EURO team of the tournament". UEFA. 30 July 2019.
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