Alex Tayo Akande

Alex Tayo Akande
Personal information
Full name Alexander Oluwatayo Akande
Date of birth (1989-02-09) 9 February 1989
Place of birth Lagos, Nigeria
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position Forward
Club information
Current team
Kitchee
Number 8
Youth career
2006–2007 Eastbourne Borough
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2008 Waltham Forest 16 (10)
2008 Advance Tai Chung 18 (7)
2009 Eastern 15 (9)
2009–2010 Kitchee 9 (4)
2009–2010Tai Chung (loan) 12 (3)
2010–2011 Tai Chung 19 (3)
2011–2012 Biu Chun Rangers 4 (2)
2012HK Sapling (loan) 12 (9)
2012–2013 Wofoo Tai Po 30 (19)
2013– Kitchee 48 (23)
National team
2015– Hong Kong 4 (1)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14 February 2014.
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 24 March 2016

Alexander Oluwatayo Akande (Chinese: 艾力士; born 9 February 1989), more commonly known as Alex Akande, is a Hong Kong footballer who currently plays as a forward in Hong Kong Premier League for Hong Kong club Kitchee.

Club career

Akande arrived in Hong Kong from England after a year with Waltham Forest[1] at 18. He played for Advance Tai Chung in the Hong Kong second division which piqued the interest of first division side Eastern Hong Kong and they signed Alex in January 2009.[2]

Akande spent two weeks training with Premier League club Blackpool and played in their last pre-season friendly against Hibernian and a weekend with Football League Two club Accrington Stanley.[3]

Wofoo Tai Po | Season 2012-13

He joined another Hong Kong First Division club "Wofoo Tai Po" in season 2012-13, in which he played one of his best seasons in his career. He scored 5 goals including a hat-trick against Tuen Mun FC in the quarter-final for the 2012-13 Senior Shield that contributed the team's first ever title-triumph in the tournament. He finished the season with a tally of 19 goals in all competitions.

Alex Akande represented Hong Kong League XI against Korean side Busan I'Park in the 2013 Lunar New Year Cup at Hong Kong Stadium.

His performance also earned him a place in the Hong Kong League XI for the 2013 Lunar New Year Cup where he played against Busan I'Park from Korea and Muangthong United from Thailand in this annual International tournament.

However, despite his prolific performance up front, the team's vulnerable defense cost them the place in the top-tier league. Tai Po were involved in a relegation battle-turmoil in which 6 teams were all fighting to avoid relegation on the final day of the league fixture. He opened the score for Tai Po in a huge battle against Yokohama FC, one of the teams in this turmoil. Yet the team conceded a heart-breaking final-second goal which equalized their lead and sent them to relegation dramatically.

Kitchee SC | Season 2013-14

Following the relegation of Tai Po FC, Alex joined his former club Kitchee SC. Kitchee began the season with an exhibition match with Manchester United. Not only did he get the chance to play against the defending English Premier League Champions, he also scored a brilliant goal in the 2-5 defeat as he turned Chris Smalling inside out before firing home.

Alex also got his first chance in continental competition as he was chosen as one of the 4 foreign players for the AFC Cup quarter-final match against Al-Faisaly from Jordan. He equalized the score to 1-1 just minute after the 2nd half whistle in the 1st leg at home. However the match ended in a 1-2 defeat for Kitchee and they were eliminated with the same scoreline in the 2nd leg.

This season ended well for both Kitchee and Alex, as Kitchee had an invincible season as the league Champions with 16 points above the runners-up Sun Pegasus, while Alex added 10 more to his goal tally in all local competitions.

Kitchee SC | Season 2014-15

Kitchee began their new season with another International exhibition match. It was Kitchee versus Paris Saint Germains at Hong Kong Stadium on 2014 July 29. Alex once again found the back of the net against an European giant in this 2-6 defeat in which Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a hat-trick.

This season Kitchee appointed former Spanish International and Atletico Madrid goalkeeper José Francisco Molina as the head coach. Aiming for higher success in the 2014 AFC Cup and the 2015 AFC Champions League Playoffs. However Alex injured his ACL in a training session in early season that forced him to miss the rest of the season. After a successful surgery to repair his ACL, he went to the United States to begin his rehab with specialized physical therapy. The rehab was a success. He was ready to return for the next season.

Kitchee SC | Hong Kong national team | Season 2015-16

Akande returned from his ACL injury in season 2015/16. On late October, after 7 years of residency, he became a naturalized Hong Kong citizen and immediately called up by the Hong Kong national team for the FIFA friendly match against Myanmar on 7 November 2015 at Mongkok Stadium. Akande made his international debut in this match and scored his first international goal for Hong Kong in the 5-0 victory.

International career

Akande was born and raised in Nigeria, but became a naturalized Hong Kong citizen after years of residency. Akande made his international debut and scored his first goal for Hong Kong against Myanmar on 7 November 2015.

Career statistics

As of 28 April 2016.

League Club Season League Cups AFC Cup International

Exhibition matches

Hong Kong

International matches

Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals Apps GoalsAppsGoals
Hong Kong

2nd Division League

Advance

Tai Chung

2008–09 7 7 3 3 10 10
Hong Kong

Premier League

Eastern 13 3 3 3 16 6
Tai Chung 2009–10 10 4 2 0 12 4
Kitchee 9 4 1 0 2 1 12 5
Tai Chung 2010-11 17 3 3 0 20 3
Biu Chun

Rangers

2011-12 3 2 1 0 4 2
Hong Kong

Sapling

10 7 2 2 12 9
Tai Po FC 2012–13 18 13 12 6 2 0 32 19
Kitchee SC 2013-14 16 7 5 3 2 1 1 1 24 12
Kitchee SC 2014-15 1 0 1 0 1 1 3 1
Kitchee SC 2015–16 12 6 9 4 21 10
Total 166 81

References

External links

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