Adedapo Paul Oluwaseun Awokoya-Mebude (born 29 July 2001) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Belgian club kV Oostende.
![]() Mebude with Scotland U19 in 2019 | |||
Personal information | |||
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Full name | Adedapo Paul Oluwaseun Awokoya-Mebude[1] | ||
Date of birth | (2001-07-29) 29 July 2001 (age 21)[2] | ||
Place of birth | London, England | ||
Position(s) | Winger, Striker | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | kV Oostende | ||
Youth career | |||
2011–2019 | Rangers | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2019–2021 | Rangers | 1 | (0) |
2021 | → Queen of the South (loan) | 11 | (2) |
2021–2022 | Watford | 0 | (0) |
2021–2022 | → AFC Wimbledon (loan) | 25 | (2) |
2022– | kV Oostende | 0 | (0) |
National team‡ | |||
Scotland U16 | |||
2017–2018 | Scotland U17 | 10 | (2) |
2018 | Scotland U18 | 2 | (0) |
2018–2020 | Scotland U19 | 13 | (4) |
2021– | Scotland U21 | 3 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10:30, 1 May 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12:32, 19 November 2021 (UTC) |
Mebude was born in London,[3] growing up in Peckham,[4] and is of Nigerian descent.[5] His family moved to Scotland when he was around 10 years old, and he joined the Rangers youth system after attending an open Soccer Schools event organised by the club.[6][7] He was later a participant in the SFA's Performance School programme at Holyrood Secondary School,[8] and also attended Rangers' youth partnership school Boclair Academy.[9]
Mebude turned professional with Rangers in May 2017.[10] Mebude signed a new contract with the club in December 2018, keeping him at Ibrox until 2021.[9] In February 2019 he was recalled from international duty with the Scotland under-19s to join up with the Rangers first team, due to injury problems.[11] Mebude debuted for the first-team on 19 May 2019, in a 2–1 away defeat versus Kilmarnock in the league.[12]
On 21 January 2021, Mebude joined Scottish Championship club Queen of the South on loan until the end of the season.[13] He scored his first professional goal, in a 4–2 league win at Gayfield Park versus Arbroath on 6 March 2021.[14]
In June 2021, Mebude ran out his contract with Rangers to become a free agent.[15][7] A month later in July, he was signed by Watford on a two-year contract with the option of a further two-years.[16][17] He suffered a back injury at the end of July 2021, and was hospitalised.[18][19]
He moved on loan to AFC Wimbledon in August 2021.[20][4] He scored his first goal for Wimbledon in a 3–3 draw against Bolton Wanderers on 14 August 2021.[21]
In September 2022 he signed for Belgian club kV Oostende.[22]
Mebude has represented Scotland at under-16, under-17, under-18, under-19 youth levels, and made his first under-21 appearance in October 2021 against Denmark.[2][10][9][11][23]
In November 2018, he was described by the Daily Record as a "diminutive striker" who was "highly-rated within Ibrox" and that he was "known for his lightening [sic] quick pace as well as his obvious finishing ability and is a handful for defenders with his trickery".[3] In a September 2019 interview, Mebude stated "When I play as a winger I try and be direct and score goals like Raheem Sterling who is fast, direct and a similar build to me."[24]
In February 2021 Mebude was one of five Rangers players fined by Scottish police "for attending an illegal gathering of ten people in a flat" in breach of lockdown rules during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.[25]
His younger brother Dire is also a footballer, who as of September 2020 was playing at youth level for Premier League club Manchester City, and Scotland.[26]
K.V. Oostende – current squad | |
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