Leon Balogun

Leon Balogun Biography / Profile

Leon-Aderemi Balogun was born on June 28, 1988 in West Berlin, West Germany. He was born to a Nigerian father, Cesar Balogun, and a German mother, Orfa Balogun. His father hails from Ijebu Ode, Ogun State. Leon is professional football defender who plays for FSV Mainz 05 and the Nigerian national team.

Leon Balogun Age

Not available.

Leon Balogun Early Life

Leon was raised in Germany along with his younger sister, Miriam. According to him, his life in Germany has been characterized with experiences of racism. "I was born and raised in Germany, so I have German values as well. I don’t feel 100 per cent German because I experience racism in everything. When I look at the mirror, I see that I am not 100 per cent German. Every morning I see myself, I know that I am half Nigerian, half German and I am proud of both countries.," he said.

Leon Balogun Career

Leon made his Bundesliga debut on 19 April 2009 for Hannover 96 in a game against Hamburger SV. After his contract with Bundesliga side Fortuna Düsseldorf had been expired in summer 2014, he was without a club for three months until he joined fellow leaguer SV Darmstadt 98. He signed a contract until the end of the 2014–15 season. After helping SV Darmstadt 98 game promotion to the top flight, he joined Bundesliga side Mainz in June 2015 on a three-year-deal.

Leon was first called up by Nigeria for a March 2014 friendly against Mexico as a replacement for Joseph Yobo. He entered after the half time interval, but was injured after 20 minutes in a collision. He fractured his foot and was to miss 2–3 months after surgery. However, he later confirmed to news media that his injury did not require surgery.

Speaking about his heritage and decision to play for Nigeria, the light skin player said, "I am a Nigerian, my father is from Ijebu Ode and my mother is half Italian and half German so I chose to play for my fatherland and I am enjoying it so far." 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. He has since then featured regularly for Nigeria.