Michael Obafemi
Michael Oluwadurotimi Obafemi is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Blackpool, on loan from Burnley. He is a Republic of Ireland international.
Early life
Obafemi was born in Dublin to Nigerian parents. While he was still an infant, his family moved to England, and he was raised in the London area. His older brother Afolabi Obafemi was also a footballer.Club career
Obafemi was released by Watford prior to his 14th birthday in 2014. He took a year out of the game before joining Leyton Orient in 2015, moving on to Southampton in 2016.Southampton
Obafemi made his professional debut for Southampton as a substitute in the 82nd minute of a 1–1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on 21 January 2018. Aged 17 years and 199 days, Obafemi became the second youngest player to make a Premier League appearance for Southampton after Luke Shaw, who was 17 years and 116 days old.He scored his first professional goal with the third goal in a 3–1 victory at Huddersfield on 22 December 2018; at 18 years and 169 days old, he became Southampton's youngest scorer in the Premier League.
Swansea City
On 31 August 2021, Obafemi joined Swansea City for a fee reported to be between £1.5 and £2 million, signing a three-year contract. On 23 October 2021, Obafemi scored his first goal for Swansea in their 2–1 defeat to Birmingham City.On the summer deadline day for the 2022 transfer window, Swansea rejected a number of bids from Burnley for Obafemi with the striker subsequently being left out of the team with concerns from manager Russell Martin over the striker's attitude.
Burnley
On 29 January 2023, Obafemi joined Burnley on loan for the remainder of the season, with a clause to make the transfer permanent at the end of the season.On 1 July 2023, the transfer was made permanent.
Millwall (loan)
On 24 January 2024, Obafemi signed for Millwall on loan until the end of the season.Plymouth Argyle (loan)
On 22 August 2024, Obafemi signed for Plymouth Argyle on a season long loan.VFL Bochum (loan)
On 1 September 2025, Obafemi signed for 2. Bundesliga club VFL Bochum on a season long loan, becoming the first Irish player to ever play for the club.Blackpool (loan)
On 21 January 2026, Obafemi joined Blackpool on loan until the end of the season.International career
Obafemi was eligible to represent England, Nigeria, and the Republic of Ireland. In November 2018 he committed to the Republic of Ireland.Obafemi represented the Republic of Ireland at under-19 level, debuting during the 2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification campaign.
On 6 November 2018, Obafemi was named in the senior Republic of Ireland squad for the first time for the friendly against Northern Ireland on 15 November and the UEFA Nations League match against Denmark on 19 November 2018. He came on as a substitute in the second half of the 0–0 draw against Denmark to make his debut. He also became the first player born in the 2000s to win a senior cap for Ireland. Obafemi made his debut for the Republic of Ireland under-21 team on 10 October 2019, coming off the bench, in a 0–0 draw with Italy under-21s at Tallaght Stadium.
On 11 June 2022, he made his first international start at senior level, in a UEFA Nations League match against Scotland, providing one assist and scoring his first goal, before a groin strain saw Obafemi substituted five minutes after scoring, being replaced by Scott Hogan. His start in the 22 March 2023 home friendly 3–2 win by the Republic over Latvia, saw Obafemi provide the assist for Evan Ferguson's first international goal.
Career statistics
Club
International
Scores and results list Republic of Ireland's goal tally first.| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 11 June 2022 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B | |
| 2 | 27 September 2022 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B |
Honours
Burnley- EFL Championship: 2022–23