Leon Balogun - TheSportsDB.com

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Name
Leon Balogun

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Complete
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60%

Born
1988 (36 years old)

Birth Place
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Berlin, Germany

Position
Centre-Back

Status
Active

Ethnicity
Black

Team Number
27

Height
190 cm

Weight
192 lbs

Outfitter

Kit

Side

Agent
Avid Sports Group

Wage Year

Player Cutout

Full Body Render

Sport

Soccer

Team
Rangers

2nd Team

League
Scottish Premier League

Creative Commons Artwork
No

Description

Leon Aderemi Balogun (born 28 June 1988) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or right-back for Rangers and the Nigeria national team. Balogun has previously played for Türkiyemspor Berlin, Hannover 96, Werder Bremen, Fortuna Düsseldorf, Darmstadt 98, Mainz 05, Brighton & Hove Albion, Wigan Athletic, a previous spell at Rangers and Queens Park Rangers.

Born to a Nigerian father and German mother, Balogun was called up by Nigeria for a March 2014 friendly against Mexico as a replacement for Joseph Yobo. Balogun entered at half-time, but was injured after 20 minutes in a collision with signage on the touchline. He fractured his foot and was set to miss 2–3 months after surgery. However, he later confirmed to news media that his injury did not require surgery.

On 25 March 2015, he played his second game for Nigeria in a 1–0 loss against Uganda. He played his third game for the country on 13 June 2015 when he featured in a 2–0 win over Chad in the opening game of qualifying for the 2017 African Nations Cup.

In June 2018, he was named in Nigeria's final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Balogun played in every minute of the three games Nigeria played in, including a 2–0 win over Iceland, but were eliminated after finishing 3rd in their group.

Balogun was included in Nigeria's squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. His first appearance in the competition came in Nigeria's second group game against Guinea in which Nigeria won 1–0 to seal qualification into the knockouts. Balogun made 4 appearances in the competition where The Super Eagles finished as bronze medallists.

Balogun was born in Berlin, West Germany to a Nigerian-Yoruba father and a German mother. Balogun was raised Roman Catholic and attended a Catholic primary school, but was not religious as a child. However, during the hardships of his early footballing career he became more devout. Balogun speaks fluent English and German, but does not speak Yoruba, as his parents tried to assimilate him into German culture.

In November 2019 Balogun said there needed to be a collective response from players to racism in football.

Season Stats
3 appearances in the current 2024-2025 Season
1 goals scored in the current 2024-2025 Season
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