Ayodeji Sotona (born 7 December 2002) is an Irish professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who last played as a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
*Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Smal ...
for club
Eastleigh
Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the United Kingdom 2011 census, 2011 census.
The town ...
.
Club career
Early career
Sotona was born in
Waterford
Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
, but moved to
Mullingar
Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, Ireland, Midland Region, with a population of 22,667 in the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census.
The Counties of M ...
as a child, where he joined local side Mullingar Athletic. At a young age, he joined the Mullingar Harriers Athletic Club, picking up several provincial and national sprinting medals, including an All-Ireland bronze medal in 2013. He then went on to play for Leixlip United.
At the age of 13, he began attracting attention from English sides
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
and
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
, eventually signing with the latter. While at Manchester United, Sotona was named as the club's fastest player, ahead of first team members
Diogo Dalot
José Diogo Dalot Teixeira (; born 18 March 1999) is a Portuguese professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, full back for club Manchester United F.C., Manchester United and the Port ...
,
Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford (born 31 October 1997) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa, on Loan (association football), lo ...
and Daniel James. After four years with the club, in which he trained with the first team, he rejected the offer of a three-year extension to his contract, and left the club as a
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
in September 2020.
Nice
After a phone call with
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Paul Vieira (; born 23 June 1976) is a French professional association football, football manager and former player who is the head coach of Serie A club Genoa CFC, Genoa. He was named in the FIFA 100 of the greatest living footballers i ...
, who was managing
Nice
Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Vieira had promised first-team football, but after he was sacked in December 2020, new manager
Adrian Ursea
Adrian Dante Ursea (born 14 September 1967) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is currently in charge of Swiss Challenge League club Yverdon-Sport.
Early life
Born in Slobozia, Ursea completed his schooling in P ...
assigned Sotona to the reserves.
With the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
disrupting the footballing schedule, he struggled for game time, and when a return to England with Brentford B presented itself in January 2022, Sotona took the opportunity, and joined on a six-month loan deal. On 9 August 2022, Sotona signed for Scottish club
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock ( ; ; , ), meaning "the church of Mernóc", is a town and former burgh in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. The town has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996 and is the region's main ...
on a season-long loan. He returned to Nice in January 2023.
Burnley
On 30 January 2023, Sotona moved to
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
, playing for their academy squad until the end of the season.
Doncaster Rovers
On 14 July 2023, Sotona moved to
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
on a free transfer following his release from Burnley.
On 24 November 2023, he joined
National League North
The National League North, officially known as Vanarama National League North for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football league in England. National League North is the second division of the National League (English footb ...
club
Boston United
Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system.
The club is known as 'the ...
on loan until 13 January 2024. Following the expiration of the previous agreement, his loan was extended until the end of the season. He was part of the Boston Utd squad that gained promotion to the National League via the play offs.
Following the completion of the season, Sotona returned to Doncaster where he was placed on the transfer list.
Eastleigh
On 25 June 2024, Sotona joined
National League
National League often refers to:
*National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada
*National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
side
Eastleigh
Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the United Kingdom 2011 census, 2011 census.
The town ...
for an undisclosed fee. On 10 August 2024, his debut for ''the Spitfires'', he suffered an
Anterior cruciate ligament injury
An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during in ...
that was expected to rule him out for the remainder of the season. He departed the club upon the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2024–25 season.
International career
Sotona is eligible to represent the Republic of Ireland, Nigeria and England at international level. He has represented the Republic of Ireland at under-15 and under-16 level.
Career statistics
Notes
Honours
Boston United
*
National League North
The National League North, officially known as Vanarama National League North for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football league in England. National League North is the second division of the National League (English footb ...
play-offs:
2024
The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...