Taiwo Micheal Awoniyi (born 12 August 1997) is a Nigerian 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 plays as a striker for club

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...

and the Nigeria national team.

Club career

Early career

In 2010, Awoniyi was voted the Most Valuable Player at a

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

football competition in London. His performance at the competition was spotted by

Seyi Olofinjana Oluwaseyi George Olofinjana (born 30 June 1980) is a Nigerian former footballer who played as a midfielder. Olofinjana began his career with local sides Crown and Kwara United before moving to Europe with Norwegian side SK Brann. After two seas ...

who invited him to join the Imperial Soccer Academy.

Liverpool

2018-02-22 Entrainement excel-29 Taiwo Awoniyi

On 31 August 2015, Awoniyi signed for English club

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

for a fee of around £400,000 but was immediately loaned out to German team

FSV Frankfurt Fußballsportverein Frankfurt 1899 e.V., commonly known as simply FSV Frankfurt and known as simply Frankfurt, is a German association football club based in the Bornheim district of Frankfurt am Main, Hessen and founded in 1899. FSV Frankfurt ...

Loans to FSV Frankfurt and NEC

Awoniyi made his debut for Frankfurt as a late substitute in a German Cup match against

Hertha Berlin Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC () or Hertha Berlin, is a German professional football club based in Berlin. Hertha BSC plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football, following relegation from t ...

. After being named as a substitute for six league matches, he made his debut on 19 February 2016, playing 89 minutes against

FC St. Pauli Fußball-Club St. Pauli von 1910 e.V., commonly known as simply FC St. Pauli (), is a German professional association football, football club based in the St. Pauli district of Hamburg. The team plays in the Bundesliga from the 2024–25 Bundesli ...

. Awoniyi suffered relegation with Frankfurt, and he returned to Liverpool at the end of the season. On 26 August 2016, Dutch team

NEC is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered at the NEC Supertower in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It provides IT and network solutions, including cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), Inte ...

confirmed that Awoniyi had joined them on a season-long loan and was expected to join the squad the following week after the formalities of his work permit were completed. On 10 September, he made his

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...

debut in a 40 defeat of NEC to

PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional association football, football department, which has pla ...

, being replaced in the 72nd minute by Michael Heinloth. With NEC, the Nigerian suffered his second consecutive relegation, being relegated from Eredivisie in 2017.

Loans to Mouscron and Gent

In July 2017, Awoniyi left NEC and joined Belgian club

Royal Excel Mouscron Royal Excel Mouscron (, ), commonly known as Mouscron or familiarly as REM, was a Belgian professional football club based in Mouscron. The team was formed as ''Royal Mouscron-Péruwelz'' in the spring of 2010 as a result of the merging between ...

on a season-long loan, and made his debut on 12 August when he started the match against

KSC Lokeren Koninklijke Sporting Club Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen (), often simply called Sporting Lokeren or Lokeren, was a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Lokeren, in the province of East Flanders. The club was founded in 1923 but ce ...

, scoring within 22 minutes. On 17 July 2018, Awoniyi signed a new long-term deal with Liverpool, and on 23 July sealed a season-long loan to another Belgian club,

Gent Gent is a shortened form of the word gentleman. It may also refer to: * Ghent ( Dutch: Gent), a Belgian city ** K.A.A. Gent, a football club from Ghent ** K.R.C. Gent, a football club from Ghent ** Gent RFC, a rugby club in Ghent ** .gent, ...

. On 11 January 2019, it was announced that his loan to Gent was cut short, and Awoniyi was loaned to Mouscron again. In April he said that his struggle to get a UK work permit could end his Liverpool career.

Loans to Mainz 05 and Union Berlin

On 6 August 2019, Liverpool confirmed Awoniyi had joined

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...

side

Mainz 05 1. Fußball- und Sport-Verein Mainz 05 e. V., usually shortened to 1. FSV Mainz 05 or simply Mainz 05 (), is a German professional sports club, founded in 1905 and based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Mainz 05 play in the Bundesliga, the top tie ...

on a season-long loan. He was hospitalised in June 2020, after sustaining a severe concussion during a 1–0 loss to

FC Augsburg Fußball-Club Augsburg 1907 e. V., commonly known as FC Augsburg (), is a Football in Germany, German professional football club based in Augsburg, Bavaria. FC Augsburg play in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system. T ...

in the league. On 19 September 2020, Awoniyi left for his seventh loan spell, this time joining Bundesliga side

Union Berlin 1. Fußballclub Union Berlin e. V., commonly known as Union Berlin (), is a professional Football in Germany, German football club based in Berlin. The club's origins can be traced to 1906, when its predecessor FC Olympia Oberschöneweide was fo ...

for a year.

Union Berlin

On 20 July 2021, Awoniyi rejoined Union Berlin, this time on a permanent basis. The German club reportedly paid £6.5 million for the forward. Liverpool negotiated a 10% sell-on clause in this deal.

Nottingham Forest

On 25 June 2022, Awoniyi completed a move to newly promoted

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

side

on a five-year deal. The transfer fee paid was a club record for Forest, reportedly £17 million. On 14 August 2022, he scored his first Premier League goal in a 1–0 win against

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

. On 22 October 2022, he scored the winning goal in a 1–0 home victory against former club Liverpool. Towards the end of the season he scored six goals in four games, including the winner in a 1–0 home win over

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

on 20 May 2023 that preserved the club's Premier League status. On 18 August 2023, Awoniyi became the first Forest player to score in six consecutive Premier League matches since

Stan Collymore Stanley Victor Collymore (born 22 January 1971) is an English football pundit, sport strategist, and former player who played as a Forward (association football), striker from 1990 to 2001, most notably for Nottingham Forest and later Liverpo ...

in March–April 1995. On 11 May 2025, Awoniyi suffered a serious abdominal injury during a game against

Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

. Two days later, on 13 May 2025, the club announced that Awoniyi had been placed in an

induced coma An induced comaalso known as a medically induced coma (MIC), barbiturate-induced coma, or drug-induced comais a temporary coma (a deep state of unconsciousness) brought on by a controlled dose of an anesthetic drug, often a barbiturate such as pe ...

and was recovering in the ICU following urgent surgery. On 15 May he was announced to be out and in recovery.

International career

Awoniyi represented

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

at the

2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup The 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the fifteenth tournament of the FIFA U-17 World Cup. The tournament was held in the United Arab Emirates from 17 October to 8 November. Nigeria won the tournament after defeating Mexico 3–0 in the final, claimin ...

and went on to win the tournament, scoring four goals during the competition. He also represented

at the

2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the twentieth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup since its inception in 1977 as the FIFA World Youth Championship. The competition took place for the first time in New Zealand, the third time on Oceanian soil after ...

in New Zealand after winning the

2015 African U-20 Championship The 2015 African U-20 Championship was the 20th edition of the biennial international youth football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for players aged 20 and below. The tournament took place in Senegal between 8� ...

in Senegal. On 12 April 2015, Awoniyi scored a brace on his debut for the Nigeria under-23 team in a match against

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

, as his team went on to qualify for the

2015 All African Games Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number) *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album), 2007 * ''15'' (Phatfish album), 2008 * ' ...

. Awoniyi was selected by Nigeria for their 35-man provisional squad for the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

. Awoniyi was selected by

Gernot Rohr Gernot Rohr (born 28 June 1953) is a German professional football coach and former player who is currently the manager of the Benin national team. Managerial career In 1996, he managed Girondins de Bordeaux to the UEFA Cup final, where they l ...

in late 2021 to represent Nigeria during the side's 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, making his senior debut in their 1–0 loss to the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to Central African Republic–Chad border, the north, Sudan to Central African Republic–Sudan border, the northeast, South Sudan to Central ...

. Awoniyi was then selected to represent Nigeria at the

2021 Africa Cup of Nations The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (also referred to as AFCON 2021 or CAN 2021), known as the TotalEnergies 2021 Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial international men's ass ...

, where he led the line for his country throughout the tournament. His only goal during the tournament came in a 3–1 group stage win against

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

Style of play

Parallels have been drawn between Awoniyi's style of play, and that of

Rashidi Yekini Rashidi Yekini (23 October 1963 – 4 May 2012) was a Nigerian professional footballer who played as a forward. Known by his Nigerian team mates and fans as 'The Goals Father', he scored over 480 goals in over 670 games in his careehttps://medi ...

, Nigeria's all-time highest goalscorer.

Personal life

Awoniyi has a younger twin sister called Kehinde. He married his partner Taiye Jesudun in an engagement and traditional wedding in

Kabba Kabba is a town in Kogi State in mid west Nigeria. It lies near the Osse River, at the intersection of roads from Lokoja, Okene, Ogidi, Ado-Ekiti, and Egbe. The town is about 295 kilometers away from Abuja. It is 511 kilometers from Lagos. ...

on 15 June 2018, followed by a

white wedding A white wedding is a traditional formal wear, formal or semi-formal wear, semi-formal wedding originating in Great Britain. The term originates from the white colour of the wedding dress, popularised by Victorian era elites after Queen Victoria ...

on 16 June in

Ilorin Ilorin is the capital city of Kwara State located in the Western region of Nigeria. The city is a major hub for transportation and commerce in the region. . Retrieved 18 February 2007 Although Ilorin is classified under the North-Central g ...

. Awoniyi is a Christian.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Awoniyi goal.''

Honours

Nigeria U17 *

FIFA U-17 World Cup The FIFA U-17 World Cup, founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later changed to U-17 in 1991 and to its current name in 2007, is the annual world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17 organized by ''Fé ...

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

Nigeria U20 *

African U-20 Championship The U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, known for short as the U-20 AFCON and for sponsorship purposes as TotalEnergies U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, previously known as the African Youth Championship and the African U-20 Championship, is the biennial int ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

Individual *

Team of the Tournament:

References

External links

Profile
at the Nottingham Forest F.C. website * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Awoniyi, Taiwo 1997 births Living people People from Ilorin Sportspeople from Kwara State Nigerian men's footballers Men's association football forwards Liverpool F.C. players FSV Frankfurt players NEC Nijmegen players Royal Excel Mouscron players K.A.A. Gent players 1. FC Union Berlin players Nottingham Forest F.C. players Bundesliga players 2. Bundesliga players Eredivisie players Belgian Pro League players Premier League players Nigeria men's youth international footballers Nigeria men's under-20 international footballers Nigeria men's international footballers 2021 Africa Cup of Nations players Nigerian expatriate men's footballers Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Germany Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in England Yoruba sportspeople 21st-century Nigerian sportsmen Nigerian twins