36 Facts About Benik Afobe

1.

Benik Tunani Afobe was born on 12 February 1993 and is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Hatta.

2.

Benik Afobe was part of the England squad that won the 2010 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in May 2010.

3.

Benik Afobe was born in Leyton, London and grew up in Dagenham where he attended Monteagle Primary School and the Jo Richardson Community School.

4.

Benik Afobe was voted Arsenal's U-18 player of the season.

5.

Benik Afobe signed a professional contract with Arsenal in February 2010, after reportedly being targeted by Barcelona.

6.

Benik Afobe impressed on his first-team debut for Arsenal in the 2011 Emirates Cup against American side New York Red Bulls.

7.

Benik Afobe came on for the injured Jack Wilshere on 7 minutes, however he was then substituted on 74 minutes for Andrey Arshavin as he had a groin injury.

8.

On 22 March 2012, Benik Afobe agreed to join Championship club Reading on loan until the end of the season, and made three appearances in the side that secured the Championship title and promotion to the Premier League.

9.

On 3 August 2012, Football League Championship club Bolton Wanderers confirmed that Benik Afobe had joined on a season-long loan.

10.

On 8 February 2013, Benik Afobe joined Millwall on loan until the end of the season, but that deal was cancelled one month later due to a knee injury and he returned to Arsenal and underwent surgery.

11.

Benik Afobe returned from injury in late October 2013, after an eight-month period on the sidelines.

12.

Benik Afobe scored the only goal on his return to action in a win for an Arsenal XI against the Nike Academy.

13.

Benik Afobe joined MK Dons on loan until the end of the season.

14.

Benik Afobe ended the season having scored 13 goals during 21 appearances for Wolves, but the team was denied a play-off place by goal difference.

15.

Benik Afobe remained a Wolves player at the close of the summer transfer window and went on to score 10 goals before the turn of the year.

16.

That was undermining everything we were trying to achieve"; chief executive Jez Moxey added that "[Benik Afobe] insisted on moving.

17.

Benik Afobe scored six goals in 16 appearances as Wolves won the Championship title, gaining promotion to the Premier League.

18.

Benik Afobe ended as top goalscorer with only nine goals from 49 appearances.

19.

However, due to the season being interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw the season suspended from March to June 2020, Benik Afobe recovered and returned to the first team.

20.

Benik Afobe made his first start for the club in 9 months against Sheffield Wednesday on 28 June 2020.

21.

On his return to Stoke, Benik Afobe featured heavily in pre-season under Michael O'Neill and played against Blackpool in the first round of the EFL Cup.

22.

On 2 July 2021, Benik Afobe rejoined fellow Championship side Millwall on a season-long loan deal eight years after his previous loan spell at the club.

23.

Benik Afobe scored 13 goals in 41 appearances for the Lions as they missed out on a play-off spot on the final day of the season, finishing in 9th.

24.

On 5 January 2023, having scored twice in nineteen appearances, Benik Afobe terminated his contract by mutual consent.

25.

On 9 January 2023, Benik Afobe joined UAE First Division League club Hatta on a free transfer.

26.

Benik Afobe captained England under-12s at the Junior World Cup in France in 2005.

27.

In 2008, Benik Afobe was part of the England under-16 team that won the Victory Shield, scoring four goals in three games.

28.

Benik Afobe was part of the England under-17 squad that won the 2010 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.

29.

Benik Afobe joined the England under-19 squad in August 2010.

30.

In June 2011, Benik Afobe was called up to the England under-20 team for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia.

31.

Benik Afobe was called up to the DR Congo national team, for 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches against Angola in March 2016.

32.

In November 2016, Benik Afobe revealed that he had not yet been able to make an appearance for DR Congo due to a hold up with the paperwork.

33.

In January 2017, Benik Afobe pulled out of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations to focus on breaking into the starting XI at Bournemouth.

34.

Benik Afobe is of DR Congolese descent and has two daughters with his partner Lois.

35.

Benik Afobe had a daughter named Amora, who died in November 2019 at the young age of two.

36.

Benik Afobe has another daughter, who is named Alba who at the time of her older sister's death was only one year old.