Gbenga Arokoyo (born 1 November 1992) is a Nigerian

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 ...

who plays for Swedish club

Umeå FC Umeå FC is a Swedish professional football club located in Umeå, Sweden. The club, formed in 1987, is currently playing in the third tier of the Swedish league, Ettan Fotboll. The club is affiliated to the Västerbottens Fotbollförbund. Seaso ...

as a defender.

Career

Arokoyo was signed by Kwara United from Kwara Football Academy in 2010. During his time at the club he was selected for the

Nigeria national under-20 football team The Nigerian men's national under-20 football team represents Nigeria in men's international football also known as the Nigeria Under-20s or nicknamed the ''Flying Eagles.'' The Flying Eagles is the youth team for the national soccer in Nigeria ...

. In early 2012 a delegation from Swedish club

Mjällby AIF Mjällby Allmänna Idrottsförening, also known simply as Mjällby AIF, Mjällby or (especially locally) MAIF, is a Swedish professional football club based in Hällevik. The club is affiliated to Blekinge Fotbollförbund and play its ho ...

travelled to see him on location in Nigeria and in February they officially signed him. In April 2013 an Allsvenskan game against

Djurgårdens IF Djurgårdens Idrottsförening, commonly known simply as Djurgårdens IF, Djurgården (), and (especially locally) Djurgår'n (), Dif or DIF – is a Swedish sports association with several sections, located in Stockholm. Name The club is name ...

was suspended after Arokoyo got hit by a

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the family Rosaceae, bearing the po ...

thrown by a Djurgården supporter. On 2 August 2016, Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer announced that they had signed Arokoyo. He played in one game for the Timbers and one game for their second team,

Portland Timbers 2 Portland Timbers 2 is an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon. The team, often referred to as "T2", serves as the reserve squad for the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer (MLS). The team was a member of the USL Champio ...

, in 2016. During training before the 2017 season, he suffered an

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus ( ...

tear, missing the subsequent season. On 13 December 2017, Arokoyo was traded along with

Darlington Nagbe Darlington Joephillip Nagbe (born July 19, 1990) is an professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer. Born in Liberia, he represented the United States national team. Nagbe spent the first seven ...

Atlanta United FC Atlanta United FC, commonly known as Atlanta United, is an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. Founded in 2014, Atlanta United began pl ...

. On 15 February 2021, Arokoyo signed with

in the Swedish third-tier Ettan.

Personal life

In his youth Arokoyo wanted to become a

doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

but since his family could not afford to pay for the education he instead chose to become a professional footballer.

References

External links

* 1992 births Living people Yoruba sportspeople Sportspeople from Kogi State Mjällby AIF players Kalmar FF players Umeå FC players Association football defenders Nigerian footballers Nigeria international footballers Nigeria under-20 international footballers Allsvenskan players Ettan Fotboll players Expatriate footballers in Sweden Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Sweden Expatriate footballers in Turkey Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Expatriate soccer players in the United States Gaziantepspor footballers Süper Lig players Nigerian expatriate footballers Portland Timbers players Portland Timbers 2 players Major League Soccer players USL Championship players {{Nigeria-footy-defender-stub