{{short description|Nigerian footballer (born 1996)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}} {{Use Nigerian English|date=November 2024}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Junior Ajayi | full_name = Oluwafemi Junior Ajayi<ref>{{cite web |url=https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/fb00fb4f430e88fc/original/vfolbncwswkxqi8ostba-pdf.pdf |title=FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020: Squad list |work=FIFA |date=1 February 2021 |access-date=1 February 2021}}</ref> | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1996|1|29|df=y}} | birth_place = Lagos, Nigeria | image = Ajayi JR 28.jpg | height = 1.85 m | position = Striker | currentclub = | clubnumber = | clubs1 = CS Sfaxien | clubs2 = Al Ahly | clubs3 = Al-Nasr | clubs4 = Smouha | clubs5 = Al Hilal | clubs6 = Al-Wehdat | years1 = 2015–2016 | years2 = 2016–2021 | years3 = 2022 | years4 = 2022–2025 | years5 = 2025 | years6 = 2025–2026 | caps1 = 28 | goals1 = 10 | caps2 = 103 | goals2 = 30 | caps3 = | goals3 = | caps4 = 8 | goals4 = 4 | caps5 = 15 | goals5 = 1 | caps6 = 1 | goals6 = 0 | nationalyears1 = 2018 | nationalteam1 = Nigeria | nationalcaps1 = 1 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's Football}} {{Medal|Country|{{fb|NGA}}}} {{MedalCompetition|Summer Olympics}} {{MedalBronze|2016 Rio de Janeiro|Team}} | club-update = 15:17, 17 March 2026 (UTC) }} '''Oluwafemi Junior Ajayi'''{{Audio|Oluwafemi_Junior_Ajayi.wav|listen}} (born 29 January 1996), commonly known as '''Junior Ajayi''', is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-06-14 |title=Biography Of Junior Ajayi (Footballer) |url=https://www.medianigeria.com/biography-of-junior-ajayi-footballer/ |access-date=2020-05-25 |website=Media Nigeria |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Junior Ajayi|url=https://nnu.ng/post/Junior-Ajayi|website=Nnu.ng - Nigeria News Update.|language=en|access-date=2020-05-27|archive-date=29 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329090027/https://nnu.ng/post/Junior-Ajayi|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.filgoal.com/articles/270659/%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%B1-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%88%D9%84-%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%A3%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%8A-%D8%A3%D9%87%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%8A|title=خبر في الجول - رسميا أجاي أهلاوي|website=FilGoal.com|language=ar|access-date=2018-05-14}}</ref>
He was selected in Nigeria's 18-man squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espnfc.com/mens-olympic-tournament/71/blog/post/2917646/2016-olympics-mens-football-final-squad-lists-for-all-16-teams|title=2016 Olympics men's football final squad lists for all 16 teams|date=25 July 2016|access-date=24 August 2019|author=ESPN|publisher=ESPN}}</ref> after helping them qualify for Rio with his decisive goals. With Nigeria, he won the Olympic bronze medal. Junior Ajayi helped Egyptian giants Al Ahly secure 2 CAF Champion Leagues, 2019–20 and 2020–21. However, following the arrival of Percy Tau and Luís Miquissone, he was never selected by Pitso Mosimane for matches and demanded Al Ahly to terminate his contract. He eventually found himself in Libyan side Al Nasr-Benghazi. On 30 July 2022, Junior Ajayi returned to Egypt by signing for Alexandria-based Smouha.
== Career statistics == === International === {| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center |+ Appearances and goals by national team and year |- !National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals |- |Nigeria |2018||1||0 |- !colspan=2|Total!!1!!0 |}
== Honours == '''Al Ahly''' * Egyptian Premier League: 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20 * Egypt Cup: 2016–17, 2019–20 * Egyptian Super Cup: 2018, 2019; runner-up: 2017, 2020 * CAF Champions League: 2019–20, 2020–21; runner-up: 2017, 2018 * FIFA Club World Cup third place: 2020
'''Nigeria U23''' * Summer Olympics third place: 2016
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * {{Soccerway}} * {{NFT player}}
{{Nigeria men's football squad 2016 Summer Olympics}} {{2017 CAF Team of the Year}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ajayi, Junior}} Category:Living people Category:Nigerian men's footballers Category:Nigeria men's international footballers Category:Men's association football forwards Category:Shooting Stars S.C. players Category:CS Sfaxien players Category:Nigerian expatriate men's footballers Category:Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Tunisia Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Tunisia Category:Footballers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic footballers for Nigeria Category:Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Nigeria Category:Olympic medalists in football Category:Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 players Category:Al Ahly SC players Category:Smouha SC players Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Egypt Category:Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Egypt Category:Egyptian Premier League players Category:Al Nasr Benghazi SC players Category:Al Hilal Benghazi SC players Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Libya Category:Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Libya Category:Libyan Premier League players Category:Al-Wehdat SC players Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Jordan Category:Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Jordan Category:Jordanian Pro League players Category:1996 births Category:African Games bronze medalists for Nigeria Category:African Games bronze medalists in football Category:Footballers at the 2015 African Games Category:Footballers from Lagos Category:CAF Champions League–winning players Category:21st-century Nigerian sportsmen