Ibrahim Babatunde

Ibrahim Babatunde
Personal information
Full name Olalekan Ibrahim Babatunde
Date of birth (1984-12-29) 29 December 1984 (age 41)
Place of birth Lagos, Nigeria
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position Striker
Team information
Current team
Ravecchia
Number 11
Youth career
2000–2002 Parma
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2003 Arezzo 5 (0)
2003–2004 Piacenza 5 (0)
2004–2005 Mons 18 (2)
2005–2007 Msida St. Joseph 48 (18)
2007–2008 Horsens 6 (0)
2008–2010 Nocerina 40 (9)
2011–2012 Birkirkara 11 (3)
2013–2014 Daugava 24 (8)
2014–2015 Racing Beirut 11 (1)
2015–2016 Saronno ? (?)
2016–2017 Garda 24 (15)
2017–2018 Vedeggio ? (?)
2018–2019 Novazzano 11 (3)
2019–2020 Real Melegnano ? (?)
2020–2021 Vedeggio ? (?)
2021–2022 Locarno ? (?)
2022- Ravecchia ? (?)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Olalekan Ibrahim Babatunde (born 29 December 1984) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Swiss 4. Liga club FC Ravecchia.

Career

Babatunde, a striker, began his career in Italy, where he entered the youth system at Parma in 2008. After a brief stint with Arezzo, he made his Serie A debut in the 2002–03 season for Piacenza against his former club Parma, coming on as a 64th-minute substitute for Claudio Ferrarese in a 2–3 away loss at Stadio Ennio Tardini.

After only two appearances in Serie A, and three in the Serie B the following season, after Piacenza had suffered relegation, Babatunde had spells in Belgium, at Mons, and then in Malta, at Msida St. Joseph. At the latter, he was voted for the Malta Football Best Foreign Player award. In 2007, he signed with Danish Superliga club AC Horsens. He was first the subject of racist taunts in a match on 26 September 2007 against Næstved Boldklub. Babatunde was the subject of racism again in a friendly against Holstein Kiel in January 2018, when Kiel player Peter Schyrba called him "an animal".

In 2008, Babatunde returned to Italy to play for Nocerina. He won the 2008–09 Serie D title with the Campania-based team and was promoted to the Lega Pro Prima Divisione. Following an injury, he left the club in 2010.

In February 2011, Babatunde returned to Malta, reaching an agreement with Birkirkara. At the end of the season, he left the club when his contract expired, and in March 2013, he joined Latvian Higher League champions Daugava and helped them win the Latvian Supercup. In September 2014, he moved to the Lebanese Premier League side Racing Beirut before returning to Italy in 2015, playing for amateur clubs Saronno, Garda, Vedeggio, Novazzano and Real Melegnano the following years.

In July 2021, Babatunde made his footballing comeback, signing for FC Locarno in the sixth-tier Swiss 2. Liga.

Honours

Daugava

References

  1. ↑ "Ibrahim Babatunde, statistik fra superligaen, all-time - SuperStats". superstats.dk. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  2. ↑ "Parma AC - Piacenza Calcio 3:2 (Serie A 2002/2003, 33. Round)". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  3. ↑ "La rosa 2002/2003". Storia Piacenza 1919. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  4. ↑ "La rosa 2003/2004". Storia Piacenza 1919. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Birkirkara FC - Player Profile". Birkirkara FC. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  6. ↑ Nielsen, Kasper (31 August 2007). "Horsens henter nigeriansk angriber". bold.dk (in Danish).
  7. ↑ Helmin, Jesper (27 September 2007). "Abelyde mod Horsens-spiller". bold.dk (in Danish).
  8. ↑ Helmin, Jesper (30 January 2008). "Horsens-angriber udsat for racisme". bold.dk (in Danish).
  9. ↑ "La Nocerina vince la finale play-off". Spezia Calcio - Sito ufficiale (in Italian). 30 June 2009.
  10. ↑ Esposito, Luca (8 September 2010). "Nocerina, Babatunde verso l'addio". TuttoC.com (in Italian).
  11. ↑ "Birkirkara FC - First Team Transfers". Birkirkara FC. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  12. ↑ "Virslīgas pieteikumi: Gongadze "Ilūkstē", komandām jauni leģionāri". Sportacentrs.com. 24 March 2013.
  13. ↑ "Exclusive : Racing Club Beirut Snap Up Babatunde On One - Year Deal:: All Nigeria Soccer - The Complete Nigerian Football Portal". All Nigeria Soccer. 25 September 2014.
  14. 1 2 "Locarno, altro colpo: preso Babatunde". laborsport.com (in Italian). 20 July 2021.
  15. ↑ "Colpo Novazzano: dal Vedeggio arriva l'esperto Babatunde". laborsport.com (in Italian). 8 August 2018.
  16. ↑ "Benvenuto a Ibrahim Babatunde". Real Melegnano (in Italian). 11 January 2019.
  17. ↑ "Daugavpils "Daugava" kļūst par pirmo Latvijas Superkausa ieguvēju". Sportacentrs.com (in Latvian). 9 March 2013.