Leon Balogun

Leon Aderemi Balogun (born 28 June 1988) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Rangers and the Nigeria national team. Balogun has previously played for Türkiyemspor Berlin, Hannover 96, Werder Bremen, Fortuna Düsseldorf, Darmstadt 98, Mainz 05, Brighton & Hove Albion, Wigan Athletic, a previous spell at Rangers and Queens Park Rangers.

Leon Balogun
Balogun playing for Nigeria in 2017
Personal information
Full name Leon Aderemi Balogun[1]
Date of birth (1988-06-28) 28 June 1988[2]
Place of birth Berlin, West Germany
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[3]
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Rangers
Number 27
Youth career
Hertha BSC
0000–2007 Hertha Zehlendorf
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2008 Türkiyemspor Berlin 29 (4)
2008–2010 Hannover 96 II 37 (1)
2008–2010 Hannover 96 3 (0)
2010–2012 Werder Bremen II 49 (4)
2010–2012 Werder Bremen 3 (0)
2012–2014 Fortuna Düsseldorf 28 (0)
2012–2014 Fortuna Düsseldorf II 4 (1)
2014–2015 Darmstadt 98 21 (4)
2015–2018 Mainz 05 52 (1)
2017 Mainz 05 II 1 (0)
2018–2020 Brighton & Hove Albion 8 (1)
2020 → Wigan Athletic (loan) 6 (0)
2020 Wigan Athletic 5 (0)
2020–2022 Rangers 40 (0)
2022–2023 Queens Park Rangers 13 (1)
2023– Rangers 1 (0)
International career‡
2014– Nigeria 46 (1)
Medal record
Representing  Nigeria
Africa Cup of Nations
Third place2019 Egypt
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:52, 12 July 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19:11, 13 June 2022 (UTC)

Club career

Early career

He made his Bundesliga debut on 19 April 2009 for Hannover 96 in a game against Hamburger SV.[4]

After his contract with 2. Bundesliga side Fortuna Düsseldorf expired in summer 2014, he was without a club for three months until he joined fellow leaguer Darmstadt 98. He signed a contract until the end of the 2014–15 season.[5]

Brighton & Hove Albion

On 22 May 2018, Balogun signed a two-year deal with Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion.[6]

Balogun made his competitive debut for the Sussex club coming on as an early substitute against Manchester United replacing injured Lewis Dunk. The Seagulls went on to beat United 3–2 at Falmer Stadium.[7]

He scored his first goal for the Albion to make it 2–0 against bitter rivals Crystal Palace at Falmer Stadium where he scored in 25 seconds after being subbed on replacing Pascal Groß as a result of a Shane Duffy red card for head butting. The game finished 3–1 to the Albion to claim the boasting rights in the M23 derby.[8]

On 27 August 2019, Balogun played in his first ever EFL Cup match in a 2–1 away win over Bristol Rovers.[9]

Wigan Athletic

Balogun signed for Wigan Athletic on 31 January 2020 on a six-month loan deal.[10] On 25 June 2020, he signed a short term permanent contract with the Latics until the end of the 2019–20 season.[11]

Rangers

Balogun signed for Scottish Premiership club Rangers on 24 July 2020 on a one-year contract, with an option in the club's favour to extend for a further year.[12] He made his debut for Rangers a week later, on 1 August, in a Scottish Premiership match against Aberdeen where he impressed during a 1–0 win.[13] During February 2021, he deputised at right back after an injury to club captain James Tavernier and the suspension of reserve player Nathan Patterson. Balogun previously played at right back earlier in his career when in Germany.[14]

On 9 April 2021, Balogun signed a new one-year contract with Rangers.[15] He scored his first goal for the club on 27 October 2021, in a Europa League group stage match against Brøndby IF.[16] Balogun left Rangers in June 2022 after his contract expired, with his final appearance coming in their 2022 Scottish Cup Final victory.[17][18] Rangers legend Ally McCoist commented two months later that he had been "surprised" by Balogun's departure, and suggested that the club should re-sign him.[17]

Queens Park Rangers

Balogun signed a one-year contract with Queens Park Rangers on 26 August 2022.[19] He scored his first goal for the club on 22 October 2022, which proved to be the winner, against his former club Wigan Athletic.[20]

Return to Rangers

He returned to Rangers on July 12 2023, a year after departing from the club as a free agent. His return was one celebrated by the club and its fans, as well as Balogun himself, who felt as though he had “come home”.

International career
Balogun with Nigeria against Iceland at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Born to a Nigerian father and German mother, Balogun was called up by Nigeria for a March 2014 friendly against Mexico as a replacement for Joseph Yobo.[21] Balogun entered at half-time, but was injured after 20 minutes in a collision with signage on the touchline. He fractured his foot and was set to miss 2–3 months after surgery. However, he later confirmed to news media that his injury did not require surgery.[22][23]

On 25 March 2015, he played his second game for Nigeria in a 1–0 loss against Uganda. He played his third game for the country on 13 June 2015 when he featured in a 2–0 win over Chad in the opening game of qualifying for the 2017 African Nations Cup.

In June 2018, he was named in Nigeria's final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[24] Balogun played in every minute of the three games Nigeria played in, including a 2–0 win over Iceland, but were eliminated after finishing 3rd in their group.[25]

Balogun was included in Nigeria's squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.[26] His first appearance in the competition came in Nigeria's second group game against Guinea in which Nigeria won 1–0 to seal qualification into the knockouts.[27] Balogun made 4 appearances in the competition where The Super Eagles finished as bronze medallists.[28]

Personal life

Balogun was born in Berlin, West Germany[29] to a Nigerian-Yoruba father and a German mother. Balogun was raised Roman Catholic and sent to a Catholic school from a young age, However, during the hardships of early footballing career Balogun started believing in God again and is now a devout Christian.[30][31] Balogun speaks fluent English and German, but does not speak Yoruba, the language of his father as his parents tried to assimilate him into German culture.[32]

In November 2019 Balogun said there needed to be a collective response from players to racism in football.[33]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 1 April 2023[34]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Hannover 96 II 2008–09 Regionalliga Nord 211———211
2009–10 Regionalliga Nord 160———160
Total 371———371
Hannover 96 2008–09 Bundesliga 1000—0010
2009–10 Bundesliga 2000—0020
Total 3000—0030
Werder Bremen II 2010–11 3. Liga 291———291
2011–12 3. Liga 203———203
Total 494———494
Werder Bremen 2010–11 Bundesliga 3000—0030
2011–12 Bundesliga 0000—0000
Total 3000—0030
Fortuna Düsseldorf II 2012–13 Regionalliga West 21———21
2013–14 Regionalliga West 20———20
Total 41———41
Fortuna Düsseldorf 2012–13 Bundesliga 17010—00180
2013–14 2. Bundesliga 11010—00120
Total 28020—00300
Darmstadt 98 2014–15 2. Bundesliga 21400—00214
Mainz 05 2015–16 Bundesliga 21120—00180
2016–17 Bundesliga 17010—2[lower-alpha 1]0200
2017–18 Bundesliga 14010—00150
Total 52140—20581
Mainz 05 II 2016–17 3. Liga 10———10
Brighton & Hove Albion 2018–19 Premier League 812000—101
2019–20 Premier League 000010—10
Total 81201000111
Wigan Athletic (loan) 2019–20 Championship 600000—60
Wigan Athletic 2019–20 Championship 500000—50
Rangers 2020–21 Scottish Premiership 19000108[lower-alpha 1]0280
2021–22 Scottish Premiership 210302011[lower-alpha 2]2372
Total 4003030192652
Queens Park Rangers 2022-23 Championship 1610000—161
Career total 273121104021230313
  1. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  2. One appearance in UEFA Champions League, ten appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League

International
As of match played 13 June 2022[35]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Nigeria 201410
201550
201630
201760
2018110
201960
202040
202171
202230
Total461
Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Balogun goal.[35]
List of international goals scored by Leon Balogun
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
110 October 2021Japoma Stadium, Douala, Cameroon Central African Republic1–02–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Rangers

Nigeria

References
  1. "2018/19 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 3 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  2. "Leon Balogun: Overview". ESPN. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  3. "Leon Balogun: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  4. "Petric als Blitzarbeiter" (in German). kicker.de. Archived from the original on 11 June 2009. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  5. "Lilien verstärken sich mit Leon Balogun" [Lilien strengthens with Leon Balogun] (in German). SV Darmstadt 98. 2 October 2014. Archived from the original on 4 October 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  6. "Leon Balogun: Brighton sign Nigeria international on free transfer". BBC Sport. 22 May 2018.
  7. "Brighton 3–2 Man Utd: Brighton score three first-half goals to stun visitors – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 19 August 2018.
  8. "Brighton 3–1 Crystal Palace: Ten-man Seagulls sweep Eagles aside – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 4 December 2018.
  9. "Bristol Rovers v Brighton & Hove Albion - BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 27 August 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  10. "LATICS COMPLETE LOAN SIGNING OF BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION DEFENDER LEON BALOGUN". Wigan Athletic FC. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  11. "Update | Wigan Athletic Player Contracts". Wigan Athletic. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  12. "Rangers sign Leon Balogun". Rangers F.C. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  13. Lindsay, Clive (1 August 2020). "Aberdeen 0-1 Rangers". BBC Sport. BBC.
  14. Forsyth, Paul (20 February 2021). "Leon Balogun prepared to park his ego to play at right back". The Times.
  15. "LEON BALOGUN EXTENDS HIS RANGERS CONTRACT". Rangers FC. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  16. "Rangers 2-0 Brondby: Leon Balogun and Kemar Roofe on target at Ibrox". Sky Sports News. 22 October 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  17. Cassidy, Peter (17 August 2022). "Ally McCoist and Kenny Miller urge Rangers to re-sign Leon Balogun following PSV Eindhoven draw". STV News. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  18. "Rangers: Leon Balogun exits at end of contract along with Andy Firth". BBC Sport. BBC. 3 June 2022.
  19. "Leon Balogun: QPR sign ex-Rangers defender on one-year deal". BBC Sport. 26 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  20. "QPR hold off Wigan pressure to stay top". BBC Sport.
  21. "Joseph Yobo ruled out of Nigeria friendly against Mexico". BBC Sport. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  22. "New Eagles star Balogun out for 2 months". MTNFootball.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  23. Wejinya, Sammy (14 March 2014). "Eagles' Balogun on the mend". SuperSport. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  24. Udoh, Colin (3 June 2018). "Super Eagles drop Aina, Agu from World Cup squad". ESPN. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  25. "World Cup - Football - BBC Sport". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  26. "Nigeria - Football - BBC Sport". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  27. "Africa Cup of Nations: Nigeria 1-0 Guinea - Omeruo header seals qualification". BBC Sport. Sport. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  28. "Africa Cup of Nations third-place play-off - Tunisia 0–1 Nigeria - Live - BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 17 July 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  29. "Leon Balogun: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  30. Dede, Steve (11 September 2017). "Bologun said he found strength in religion when he was struggling to make the grade as a teenager". pulse.ng. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  31. Gleeson, Patrick (16 June 2018). "Leon Balogun: What can Premier League fans expect from Nigeria star?". Sporting News. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  32. "Why I did not learn Yoruba — Leon Balogun". Nigeria Village Square. 23 March 2014. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  33. "Nigeria's Leon Balogun says fight against racism is a collective responsibility". BBC Sport. 5 December 2019.
  34. Leon Balogun at Soccerway
  35. "Leon Balogun". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  36. "Rangers top-flight champions for first time since 2011 after Celtic drop points". BBC Sport. 7 March 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  37. "Rangers 2-0 Hearts". BBC Sport. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  38. "Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Rangers". BBC Sport. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  39. "Africa Cup of Nations third-place play-off - Tunisia 0–1 Nigeria - Live - BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 17 July 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
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