Michael Babatunde
Michael Babatunde (born 24 December 1992) is a Nigerian football midfielder, who plays for Wydad AC in Botola Pro. He has played for various clubs in Nigeria, Ukraine and other countries.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 24 December 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Lagos, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position(s) | Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Wydad AC | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Water FC | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010 | Heartland | 29 | (15) |
| 2011–2013 | Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih | 64 | (32) |
| 2013–2015 | Volyn Lutsk | 46 | (24) |
| 2015 | Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | 15 | (7) |
| 2016 | Raja Casablanca | 25 | (15) |
| 2016–2018 | Qatar SC | 40 | (23) |
| 2018– | Wydad AC | 38 | (13) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2013– | Nigeria[1] | 17 | (2) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 5 November 2016 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 5 November 2016 | |||
Biography
He was born on December 24, 1992, in Lagos, Nigeria. As a young boy, he tagged along when he turned 5 years old. He was playing soccer with friends, not intimidated by the bigger boys. At the age of 8, he was recruited to join the youth academy club in Lagos. Recognized smaller than most of the kids in his age group, Michael eventually got recognized by a bigger academy Water FC Academy Abuja, where he was groomed as a professional, later linked with FC Heartland. He played several games for U-17, U-20 and Super Eagle the National Team of Nigeria. Michael has played a total of 14420 minutes, has had 188 Appearances, 163 Lineups, 35 Substitutes, 10 Substitute out, 25 Substitute on the bench, 101 Goals, 19 Yellow Cards, 0 Red Cards. He has been in Ukraine from 2010 to 2015.
Michael Babatunde moved to Ukraine at the age of 19, signed by FC Kryvbas of Ukraine from Heartland FC of Nigeria. Michael Babatunde became noted in Ukrainian football after scoring his first goal against FC Chornomorets Odesa, scoring 2 goals at will with the team which lead his club to stay at the Ukrainian Premier League from 2010 to 2013. The club eventually went bankrupt. In 2012-2013 he set a record for most goals to assist in a calendar year, and has scored 6 goals in total at the Ukrainian Premier League from 2010-2015. He later went on a free transfer to FC Volyn. He was a frequent player in the Nigeria National Team, playing for Nigeria in the FIFA confederations cup in 2013 and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
On 31 May 2016 Michael Babatunde joined Qatar SC in the Qatar Stars League.[2]
References
- "Michael Babatunde". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman.
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36417827
