Born in London to Nigerian parents, Ade Akinbiyi is a former professional footballer, widely recognised as a powerful centre forward and for his record signings, including a £5.3 million move to Leicester City.
He has also represented Nigeria at international level. Starting his career with the Norwich City youth team, he made his debut against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup in 1993. His first move was to Gillingham in 1997: the young player made a splash with 29 goals and 67 appearances before transferring to Bristol City for £1.2 million. After scoring 21 goals for Bristol, it wasn’t long before Akinibiyi’s skills were noticed by other clubs. The Wolverhampton Wanderers swept in with a record £3.5 million deal for the player in September 1999.
Akinibiyi banged in the goals for Wolves, finishing as the club’s top goalscorer, but was soon on the move again as part of another record deal in 2000, when Leicester paid £5.3 million for him to join the club, and he made 58 appearances before a £2.2 million move to Crystal Palace. He continued his footballing career with stints at Stoke, Burnley and Sheffied United, before a surprise move to the United States saw him playing for Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo in 2009. Now retired from the pitch, Akinbiyi’s eventful career has given him a wealth of experience, making him a valuable football consultant and coach. He also finds time to run a charity football project in Africa while acting as an ambassador for Prostate Cancer UK.