Taiwo Awoniyi

Early career

In 2010, Awoniyi was voted the Most Valuable Player at a Coca-Cola football competition in London. His performance at the competition was spotted by Seyi Olofinjana who invited him to join the Imperial Soccer Academy.

Liverpool

On 31 August 2015, Awoniyi signed for English club Liverpool for a fee of around £400,000 but was immediately loaned out to German team FSV Frankfurt.

Loans to FSV Frankfurt and NEC

Awoniyi made his debut for Frankfurt as a late substitute in a German Cup match against Hertha Berlin. After being named as a substitute for six league matches, he made his debut on 19 February 2016, playing 89 minutes against FC St. Pauli. Awoniyi suffered relegation with Frankfurt, and he returned to Liverpool at the end of the season. On 26 August 2016, Dutch team NEC confirmed that Awoniyi had joined them on a season-long loan and was expected to join the squad the following week after the formalities of his work permit were completed. On 10 September, he made his Eredivisie debut in a 4–0 defeat of NEC to PSV Eindhoven, being replaced in the 72nd minute by Michael Heinloth. With NEC, the Nigerian suffered his second consecutive relegation, being relegated from Eredivisie in 2017.

Loans to Mouscron and Gent

In July 2017, Awoniyi left NEC and joined Belgian club Royal Excel Mouscron on a season-long loan, and made his debut on 12 August when he started the match against KSC Lokeren, scoring within 22 minutes. On…

Awoniyi represented Nigeria at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup and went on to win the tournament, scoring four goals during the competition. He also represented Nigeria at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand after winning the 2015 African U-20 Championship in Senegal. On 12 April 2015, Awoniyi scored a brace on his debut for the Nigeria under-23 team in a match against Zambia, as his team went on to qualify for the 2015 All African Games. Awoniyi was selected by Nigeria for their 35-man provisional squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Awoniyi was selected by Gernot Rohr in late 2021 to represent Nigeria during the side's 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, making his senior debut in their 1–0 loss to the Central African Republic. Awoniyi was then selected to represent Nigeria at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, where he led the line for his country throughout the tournament. His only goal during the tournament came in a 3–1 group stage win against Sudan.

Parallels have been drawn between Awoniyi's style of play, and that of Rashidi Yekini, Nigeria's all-time highest goalscorer.

Awoniyi has a younger twin sister called Kehinde. He married his partner Taiye Jesudun in an engagement and traditional wedding in Kabba on 15 June 2018, followed by a white wedding on 16 June in Ilorin. Awoniyi is a Christian.