{{Short description|Nigerian footballer (born 1968)}} {{EngvarB|date=February 2019}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2019}} {{Infobox football biography | name = David Adekola | image = | caption = | fullname = David Adeolu Adekola | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1968|5|19|df=y}} | birth_place = Lagos, Nigeria | death_date = | currentclub = | height = {{height|ft=6}}<ref name=Rothmans>{{cite book |editor1-first=Glenda |editor1-last=Rollin |editor2-first=Jack |editor2-last=Rollin |title=Rothmans Football Yearbook 1997–98 |date=1997 |publisher=Headline |location=London |isbn=978-0-7472-7738-5 |page=424}}</ref> | position = Forward | youthyears1 = – | youthclubs1 = | years1 = 1987–1990 | clubs1 = Julius Berger | caps1 = | goals1 = | years2 = 1993–1994 | clubs2 = Bury | caps2 = 35 | goals2 = 12 | years3 = 1994 | clubs3 = → Exeter City (loan) | caps3 = 3 | goals3 = 1 | years4 = 1994 | clubs4 = AFC Bournemouth | caps4 = 1 | goals4 = 0 | years5 = 1994–1995 | clubs5 = Wigan Athletic | caps5 = 4 | goals5 = 0 | years6 = 1995 | clubs6 = Halifax Town | caps6 = 2 | goals6 = 0 | years7 = 1995 | clubs7 = Hereford United | caps7 = 0 | goals7 = 0 | years8 = 1995 | clubs8 = Bath City | caps8 = 7 | goals8 = 2 | years9 = 1995 | clubs9 = Cambridge United | caps9 = 5 | goals9 = 1 | years10 = 1995 | clubs10 = → Bishop's Stortford (loan) | caps10 = | goals10 = | years11 = 1995–1996 | clubs11 = BFC Preussen | caps11 = | goals11 = | years12 = 1996 | clubs12 = Viktoria Köln | caps12 = | goals12 = | years13 = 1996 | clubs13 = Brighton & Hove Albion | caps13 = 1 | goals13 = 0 | years14 = 1998–1999 | clubs14 = Billericay Town | caps14 = | goals14 = | years15 = 1999–2000 | clubs15 = Slough Town | caps15 = 24 | goals15 = 5 | years16 = 2000 | clubs16 = Walton & Hersham | caps16 = | goals16 = | years17 = 2000–2001 | clubs17 = Hendon<ref name=hfc /> | caps17 = 30 | goals17 = 7 | nationalyears1 = 1987 | nationalteam1 = Nigeria U20 | nationalcaps1 = 3 | nationalgoals1 = 1 | nationalyears2 = 1989–1991 | nationalteam2 = Nigeria | nationalcaps2 = 2 | nationalgoals2 = 1 }} '''David Adeolu Adekola''' {{Audio|LL-Q34311 (yor)-Tunmise123-David Adekola.wav|Listen|help=no}}(born 18 May 1968)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=29 |title=David Adekola |work=Soccerbase |publisher=Centurycomm |access-date=25 October 2010 |archive-date=27 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127001206/http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=29}}</ref> is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played for various English clubs in the 1990s and 2000s.
==Club career== Adekola was born in Lagos. He joined Bury in January 1993, amid claims that he had played top-flight football in France and Belgium, although it later transpired that his entire international background was untrue.<ref name=bath>{{cite web |url=http://www.ilovebathcity.com/pastplayers_a.htm |title=Past Players – A |publisher=I Love Bath City |accessdate=25 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713012050/http://www.ilovebathcity.com/pastplayers_a.htm |archivedate=13 July 2011 }}</ref> He joined Exeter City on loan in February 1994 and left Bury to join AFC Bournemouth on a free transfer in September 1994. A month later he joined Wigan Athletic, but played only four times before being released in February 1995. He joined Halifax Town, playing twice in the Conference.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shaymenonline.org/sol/players.php?command=view&id=263|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216070111/http://www.shaymenonline.org/sol/players.php?command=view&id=263|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 February 2012|title=David Adekola|publisher=Shaymen Online|accessdate=4 February 2009}}</ref> He had a brief spell with Hereford United before joining Bath City in March 1995,<ref name=bath /> where he scored 3 goals from 9 games in all competitions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ilovebathcity.com/archive_9596.htm |title=1995–96 |publisher=I Love Bath City |accessdate=25 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313025402/http://www.ilovebathcity.com/archive_9596.htm |archive-date=13 March 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
He joined Cambridge United in July 1995, but once more struggled to establish himself and was loaned to Bishop's Stortford. Released by Cambridge in December 1995, Adekola moved to Germany to play for BFC Preussen and Viktoria Köln.
He returned to English football in October 1996 when he signed for Brighton & Hove Albion. He played just once for Brighton, in a 2–1 home defeat to Cambridge United on 12 October, before being released the following month.
In July 1998 he joined Billericay Town, moving to Slough Town in August 1999.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.echo-news.co.uk/archive/1999/08/25/Essex+Archive/5524674.Soccer__Plan_changes_as_Adekola_leaves/ |title=Plan changes as Adekola leaves|newspaper=The Echo|date=25 August 1999|accessdate=25 October 2010}}</ref> He joined Hendon during the 2000–01 season.<ref name=hfc>{{cite web|url=http://www.hendonfc.net/Squad?method=view&id=333|title=Profile: David Adekola|publisher=Greensnet|accessdate=1 March 2010}}</ref>
In May 2005, Adekola finished runner-up (to Craig Madden) in a vote for Bury's Cult Hero organised by the BBC show ''Football Focus''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/football_focus/4536057.stm|title=Bury's cult heroes|publisher=BBC Sport|date=14 May 2005|access-date=4 February 2009}}</ref>
==International career== Adekola played for Nigeria's youth side at the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship in Chile. He also played for the senior Nigeria national football team, scoring on goal on his debut in a 1990 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea in 1989.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Supersport.com|author=Solaja, Kunle|title=Ehiosun is 58th scoring debutant|url=http://www.supersport.com/football/nigeria/news/110210/Ehiosun_is_58th_scoring_debutant|date=10 February 2011}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{FIFA player|193116}} *{{Soccerbase}} *{{NFT player|pid=41665}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adekola, David}} Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:Nigerian men's footballers Category:Nigeria men's under-20 international footballers Category:Nigeria men's international footballers Category:Men's association football forwards Category:Bury F.C. players Category:Exeter City F.C. players Category:AFC Bournemouth players Category:Wigan Athletic F.C. players Category:Billericay Town F.C. players Category:Halifax Town A.F.C. players Category:Hereford United F.C. players Category:Bath City F.C. players Category:Cambridge United F.C. players Category:Bishop's Stortford F.C. players Category:FC Viktoria Köln players Category:BFC Preussen players Category:Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players Category:Slough Town F.C. players Category:Hendon F.C. players Category:English Football League players Category:National League (English football) players Category:Footballers from Lagos Category:Expatriate men's footballers in England Category:Nigerian expatriate men's footballers Category:Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Germany Category:Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in England Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Category:20th-century Nigerian sportsmen