Bamberdele Olusegun Adebola (born 23 June 1975) is a Nigerian retired footballer. Including loans, he has played for 16 clubs in his career, with his longest spells at Crewe Alexandra, Birmingham City and Coventry City.
Early life
Born in Lagos, Lagos State, Adebola was brought up in Liverpool after arriving in England as a baby with his family; as a schoolboy, he played in the same representative sides as Robbie Fowler. When offered a YTS place by Liverpool, the team he supported, he believed that trying to progress as a fellow left-footed striker at the club at the same time as Fowler would not be a good idea. Consequently, he accepted a similar offer from Crewe Alexandra.
Club career
Crewe Alexandra
He made his first team debut in the 1992–93 season in the Third Division at the age of 17, and in the following season gained experience by playing on loan at Bangor City in the Welsh Premier League and Conference side Northwich Victoria. He made a significant impact for Crewe in 1996–97, his 16 goals proving crucial in the club's promotion to the First Division.
He soon proved himself capable of scoring goals at that level, and attracted interest from several bigger clubs. Disappointed when Crewe rejected an offer for him from West Ham United, he made it clear to the club that he wanted to leave, and reluctantly the club made him available for transfer. In February 1998, Adebola was signed by manager Trevor Francis for fellow First Division club Birmingham City for a fee of £1 million.
Birmingham City
With seven goals in the remainder of that season, and scoring in each of his first five matches (in all competitions) in 1998–99, his future at Birmingham looked bright. In his first full season he scored 13 goals, but in 1999–2000 he was less productive, fell out of favour, and at the end of the season was put on the transfer list. Las Palmas, newly promoted to La Liga, announced that they had signed him, only for the move to fall through on medical grounds.
Though remaining on the transfer list, he was restored to the first team, and his goals helped Birmingham to reach the 2001 Football League Cup Final. The manager said he kept him on the transfer list in order to provoke him into the sort of performance commensurate with his power, pace and technical ability but which his "laid-back" character might otherwise inhibit.
A serious knee injury, sustained later that season when the player slid into a goalpost, effectively marked the end of his Birmingham career. A spell on loan at Oldham Athletic towards the end of the 2001–02 season helped him back to fitness, but new manager Steve Bruce chose not to renew his contract.
Crystal Palace
In August 2002, Adebola signed a one-year contract with Crystal Palace, after impressing former manager Trevor Francis in a trial. He played one season at the club, where he proved his fitness, making 48 appearances in all competitions.
Coventry City
Again released at the end of that season, Gary McAllister took him to Coventry City, where he initially failed to find any form, finishing the season out on loan to Burnley, ironically a club that had been keen to buy him before his injury. At Burnley he scored once in three appearances, his goal coming against Watford.
Another loan spell followed, this time at Bradford City for whom he scored three goals. It was only when recalled to the Coventry side on a regular basis in 2004–05, first under Peter Reid and particularly under Micky Adams, playing with the likes of Stern John and Gary McSheffrey, that his form picked up.
Bristol City
On 30 January 2008, Adebola signed an 18-month contract with Bristol City, moving for an undisclosed fee, despite Coventry wanting to renew his deal, which was due to end in the summer. Adebola made his debut on 2 February in a 3–0 defeat away to Queens Park Rangers, and scored in just seven minutes on his home debut to help City defeat Sheffield Wednesday 2–1. His performances in the 2008–09 season, during which he scored 10 goals from 42 appearances, earned him the club's Player of the Year award. The player rejected the club's offer of a year's extension to his contract, claiming he had been offered a two-year deal elsewhere.