Leon Ayinde
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leon Zion Oluwatobi Ayinde | ||
| Date of birth | 5 September 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Cork, Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Doncaster Rovers | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| St. Mary's | |||
| 2018–2023 | Cork City | ||
| 2023– | Ipswich Town | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2026 | Ipswich Town | 0 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | → Rochdale (loan) | 27 | (2) |
| 2026 | → Boreham Wood (loan) | 13 | (2) |
| 2026– | Doncaster Rovers | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| Republic of Ireland U17 | |||
| 2025– | Republic of Ireland U21 | 2 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:39, 20 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18:09, 27 March 2026 (UTC) | |||
Leon Zion Oluwatobi Ayinde (born 5 September 2004) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a winger for EFL League One club Doncaster Rovers and is a Republic of Ireland youth international.
Ayinde was born in Cork and played youth football with St. Mary's and Cork City before being signed by Ipswich Town. He has also spent time on loan with Rochdale.
Youth career
Ayinde first played junior football for Munster Senior League side St. Mary's, before joining by local League of Ireland club Cork City at Under-14 level.[1]
Club career
Cork City
On 28 March 2022 Ayinde made his senior debut for Cork at the age of 17 in the Munster Senior Cup in a 3–0 win over Midleton.
Ipswich Town
On 31 January 2023, Ayinde was signed by EFL Championship side Ipswich Town.[2] Ayinde made his first appearance on the bench for Ipswich on 9 August 2023 in an EFL Cup match vs Bristol Rovers.
Rochdale (loan)
On 30 August 2024, it was announced that Ayinde had joined National League side Rochdale on loan for half a season.[3] On January 8 it was announced that Anyinde’s loan had been extended until the end of the season.[4]
Boreham Wood (loan)
On 13 February 2026, Ayinde joined National League side Boreham Wood on loan until the end of the season.[5] Ayinde played in the 2025–26 National League Cup final, as Boreham Wood defeated the West Ham United U21s on penalties to win the cup.[6]
Doncaster Rovers
On 20 May 2026, Ayinde agreed to join League One club Doncaster Rovers on a two-year deal from 1 July.[7]
International career
Ayinde is eligible to play for both the Republic of Ireland and Nigeria.
In October 2025 Ayinde received his first call-up to the Republic of Ireland U21s,[8] with him making his debut in his hometown of Cork at Turners Cross in a Euros qualifier against Slovakia. Ayinde was brought on as a substitute in the 68th minute however after only six minutes he had to be taken off due to an injury.[9]
Career statistics
- As of end of 2025–26 season
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Cork City | 2022 | LOI First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Ipswich Town | 2023–24 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2024–25 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2025–26 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Rochdale (loan) | 2024–25 | National League | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5[d] | 0 | 34 | 3 |
| Boreham Wood (loan) | 2025–26 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[e] | 0 | 18 | 2 | |
| Doncaster Rovers | 2026–27 | EFL League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career total | 40 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 54 | 5 | ||
- ↑ Includes FAI Cup, FA Cup
- ↑ Includes EFL Cup, National League Cup
- ↑ Appearances in Munster Senior Cup
- ↑ 4 Appearances in FA Trophy and 1 Appearance in National League Play-Offs
- ↑ Appearance(s) in National League play-offs
Honours
Boreham Wood
References
- ↑ "Ipswich Youngster Joins on Loan". 30 August 2024.
- ↑ "Leon Ayinde joins Ipswich Town".
- ↑ "Leon Joins Dale on Loan". 30 August 2024.
- ↑ "Leon Ayinde Extends Loan Stay". 8 January 2025.
- ↑ "Welcome, Leon Ayinde!". 13 February 2026.
- ↑ "Match Report: Boreham Wood 2 - 2 West Ham United U21". 17 March 2026.
- ↑ "Rovers' first signing of the 2026/27 season". www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk. 20 May 2026. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ↑ "Ayinde Receives First Irish U21s Call - Ipswich Town News".
- ↑ "Tweet by Ireland Football⚽️ 🇮🇪". X.com. 10 October 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
- ↑ "Leon Ayinde Stats | Soccerway".
- 2004 births
- Living people
- Association footballers from Cork (city)
- Men's association football wingers
- Black Irish sportspeople
- 21st-century Irish sportsmen
- Expatriate men's footballers in England
- Irish expatriate sportspeople in England
- Irish people of Nigerian descent
- Republic of Ireland men's association footballers
- Republic of Ireland expatriate men's association footballers
- Republic of Ireland men's youth international footballers
- Republic of Ireland men's under-21 international footballers
- Cork City F.C. players
- Rochdale A.F.C. players
- Boreham Wood F.C. players
- Ipswich Town F.C. players
- Doncaster Rovers F.C. players
- League of Ireland players
- English Football League players
- National League (English football) players