Alex Tayo Akande
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alexander Oluwatayo Akande | ||
| Date of birth | 9 February 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Lagos, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Kitchee | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2007 | Eastbourne Borough | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007–2008 | Waltham Forest | 16 | (10) |
| 2008 | Advance Tai Chung | 10 | (10) |
| 2009 | Eastern | 16 | (6) |
| 2009–2010 | Kitchee | 10 | (4) |
| 2009–2010 | → Tai Chung (loan) | 12 | (4) |
| 2010–2011 | Tai Chung | 20 | (3) |
| 2011–2012 | Biu Chun Rangers | 4 | (2) |
| 2012 | → HK Sapling (loan) | 12 | (9) |
| 2012–2013 | Wofoo Tai Po | 30 | (19) |
| 2013– | Kitchee | 55 | (25) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2015– | Hong Kong | 10 | (9) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11 May 2016. | |||
Alexander Oluwatayo Akande (Chinese: 艾力士; born 9 February 1989), more commonly known as Alex Akande, is a Hong Kong footballer who currently plays as a forward in Hong Kong Premier League for Hong Kong club Kitchee.
Club career
England | Waltham Forest | Season 2007-008
Akande started his professional career in England at age 18 with local side Waltham Forest in 2007.[1] And in summer 2010, he spent two weeks training with Premier League side Blackpool and played in their pre-season friendly against Hibernian.[2]
Advance Tai Chung | Eastern | Season 2008-09
Akande arrived in Hong Kong in 2008 and played for Advance Tai Chung in the Hong Kong second division league. His prolific performance soon drew interest of first division side Eastern. Akande joined Eastern in January 2009 and finished the season with 6 goals.
Tai Chung | Kitchee | Season 2009-2010
Akande returned to Tai Chung in season 2009-10. After scoring 3 goals in 12 matches for Tai Chung in half a season, he joined Kitchee SC in mid-season following the departure of Kitchee's Spanish striking duo Albert Virgili Fort and Raul Torres.
The transfer also gave Akande an opportunity to play the 2010 Lunar New Year Cup as he played for Kitchee against Pegasus Invitation team and Korean side Pohang Steelers. In two 45 minutes matches, Akande scored against Pegasus Invitation in a 1-0 win and assisted his teammates in a 1-1 draw against the 2009 AFC Champions League winner. Despite losing the title to Pohang Steelers due to one less goal scored, Akande was named the MVP of the tournament.
Akande scored 4 more goals for Kitchee in local competitions during his half-season spell .
Tai Chung | Season 2010-11
Akande once again returned to Tai Chung and played a full season for the team in season 2010-11. His 3 goals in 19 matches were not enough to save Tai Chung from relegation.
Biu Chun Rangers | Hong Kong Sapling | Season 2011-12
Akande's 4th season in Hong Kong began with joining Biu Chun Rangers. He was loaned to Hong Kong Sapling, a development team formed by the Hong Kong Football Association, in the mid-season after a slow start at Biu Chun Rangers.
Akande found his scoring touch soon after joining Hong Kong Sapling, where he scored 9 goals in 12 matches. However the Hong Kong F.A. decided not to continue running Hong Kong Sapling after the team failed to avoid relegation. As a result, Hong Kong Sapling were disbanded after the season.
Wofoo Tai Po | Season 2012-13
Akande joined another Hong Kong First Division club "Wofoo Tai Po" in season 2012-13, in which he played one of his best seasons in his career. He scored 5 goals including a hat-trick against Tuen Mun in the quarter-final for the 2012-13 Senior Shield that contributed the team's first ever title-triumph in the tournament. He finished the season with a tally of 19 goals in all competitions.
His performance also earned him a place in the Hong Kong League XI for the 2013 Lunar New Year Cup where he played against Busan I'Park from Korea and Muangthong United from Thailand in this annual International tournament.
However, despite his prolific performance up front, the team's vulnerable defense cost them the place in the top-tier league. Tai Po were involved in a relegation battle-turmoil in which totally 6 teams were fighting to avoid relegation on the final day of the league. He opened the score for Tai Po in a huge battle against Yokohama FC Hong Kong, another team in this turmoil. Yet Tai Po conceded a heart-breaking final-second goal which cancelled their lead and sent them to relegation dramatically.
Kitchee SC | Season 2013-14
Following the relegation of Tai Po FC, Akande joined his former club Kitchee SC. Kitchee began the season with an International exhibition match with Manchester United.[3] He had the chance to play against the defending Premier League champions, and scored a brilliant goal in the 2-5 defeat as he turned Man United's defender Alex Buttner inside out before firing home.
Akande also had his first opportunity in continental competition as he was chosen as one of the four foreign players for the 2013 AFC Cup quarter-final match against Al-Faisaly from Jordan. Kitchee lost the 1st leg at home in a 1-2 defeat to the Jordanian side with Akande once equalized the score in the early 2nd half. Kitchee were eliminated from the competition with a same scoreline in the 2nd leg.
The season ended well for both Kitchee and Akande, as Kitchee had an invincible season as the league champions with 16 points above the runners-up Sun Pegasus, while Akande added 10 more goals to his tally in all local competitions.
Kitchee SC | Season 2014-15
Kitchee began their new season with another International exhibition match. This season It was Kitchee versus Paris Saint Germains[4] at Hong Kong Stadium on 2014 July 29. Akande once again found the back of the net against a European giant in this 2-6 defeat with Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a hat-trick.
This season Kitchee appointed former Spanish International and Atletico Madrid goalkeeper José Francisco Molina as their head coach. Aiming for higher success in the 2014 AFC Cup and the 2015 AFC Champions League Playoffs. However Akande picked up an injury in a training session in early season which forced him to miss the rest of the season. After a successful surgery he went to the United States for his rehab with specialized physical therapy . The rehab was a success and he was ready to return for the next season.
Kitchee SC | Hong Kong national team | Season 2015-16
Akande returned from his injury in season 2015/16. On late October, after 7 years of residency,[5] he became a naturalized Hong Kong citizen and immediately called up by the Hong Kong national team for the FIFA friendly match against Myanmar on 7 November 2015 at Mongkok Stadium. Akande made his international debut in this match and scored his first international goal for Hong Kong in the 5-0 victory.[6]
Akande then played all the remaining three 2018 World Cup AFC qualification second round matches of the Hong Kong national team against Maldives,[7] China[8] and Qatar.[9] Hong Kong completed the group stage as the 2nd runners-up and secured a direct entry to the 2019 Asian Cup qualifying third round.
Since making his International debut and the managerial change of Kitchee in mid-season, Akande has recovered his scoring form before the injury by scoring 10 goals in 18 matches including 2 goals in the League Cup final victory which saw Kitchee lifted this trophy for the historical fifth times.
Kitchee SC | Hong Kong national team | Season 2016-17
Alex Akande has soon become a regular starter of the Hong Kong national team. He started in all three International friendly matches against Cambodia (twice) and Singapore, in which he netted 2 goals that contributed 3 consecutive victories.
Akande kept his momentum to the 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship Round 2. He scored 6 goals in the first two games in this tournament against Guam and Chinese Taipei, including all the 4 goals in the 4-2 victory over Chinese Taipei. Akande was awarded the top scorer of the tournament. He also took his tally to 9 goals in 10 matches since winning his first cap for Hong Kong.
International career
Akande was born in Nigeria. But after living for more that seven years in Hong Kong, Akande obtained his Hong Kong citizenship and became eligible to play with the Hong Kong national team in October 2015. He soon made his international debut for Hong Kong in a FIFA friendly against on 7 November 2015. He also scored on his debut in this 5-0 win.
Akande started in the 2018 World Cup AFC qualification second round match against Maldives on 12 November 2015 in which Hong Kong defeated the home side with a narrow 1-0 win. He then played against China and Qatar in the same competition. Hong Kong finished the group stage as the 2nd runners-up and secured a direct entry to the 2019 Asian Cup qualifying third round.
On 9 November 2016, Alex Akande scored four goals to lead Hong Kong to a 4-2 victory over Chinese Taipei in the 2017 EAFF East Asian Cup Second Round.[10]
Career statistics
As of 11 May 2016.
| League | Club | Season | League | Cups | AFC Cup | International
Exhibition matches |
Hong Kong
International matches |
Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Hong Kong
2nd Division League |
Advance | 2008–09 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | – | – | – | 10 | 10 | |||
| Hong Kong
Premier League |
Eastern | 13 | 3 | 3 | 3 | – | – | – | 16 | 6 | ||||
| Tai Chung | 2009–10 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 12 | 4 | ||||
| Kitchee | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | – | 2 | 1 | – | 12 | 5 | ||||
| Tai Chung | 2010-11 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | 20 | 3 | ||||
| Biu Chun | 2011-12 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 4 | 2 | ||||
| Hong Kong | 10 | 7 | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | 12 | 9 | |||||
| Tai Po FC | 2012–13 | 18 | 13 | 12 | 6 | – | 2 | 0 | – | 32 | 19 | |||
| Kitchee SC | 2013-14 | 16 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | 24 | 12 | ||
| Kitchee SC | 2014-15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 3 | 1 | |||
| Kitchee SC | 2015–16 | 13 | 7 | 9 | 4 | – | – | 4 | 1 | 26 | 12 | |||
| Kitchee SC | 2016-17 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 11 | |||||
| Total | 185 | 94 | ||||||||||||
References
- ↑ "05.01.2008 | Ryman League Division 1 North-match".
- ↑ "HIBS recovered from their painful Europa League exit with an impressive win over Premiership new boys Blackpool.".
- ↑ "Far East Tour: Manchester United score five times against Kitchee FC in Hong Kong".
- ↑ "Paris Saint-Germain light up Hong Kong Stadium - but organisers fail to break even".
- ↑ "NIGERIA'S ALEX AKANDE SET TO OBTAIN HONG KONG PASSPORT".
- ↑ "International friendly sees new faces impress for Hong Kong in stroll over Myanmar".
- ↑ "FIFA.com | Maldives 1:0 Hong Kong".
- ↑ "Fifa.com | HONG KONG 0-0 China PR".
- ↑ "Qatar wins 2-0 as Hong Kong exits World Cup".
- ↑ "Alex Akande scores four as Hong Kong beat Taiwan 4-2 to set up North Korea showdown". South China Morning Post. 9 November 2016.