Femi Azeez

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Femi Azeez
Femi Azeez 12042025 (2).jpg
Femi Azeez in 2025.
Personal information
Full name Oluwafemi Javier Azeez [1]
Date of birth (2001-06-05) 5 June 2001 (age 24)
Place of birth Westminster, England [2]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Millwall
Number 11
Youth career
Watford
–2018 Northwood
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2018 Northwood 12 (0)
2018–2019 Wealdstone 8 (0)
2018–2019 → Hanwell Town (loan) 3 (3)
2019–2024 Reading 81 (10)
2020 → Bracknell Town (loan) 1 (0)
2024– Millwall 35 (2)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:08, 22 April 2025 (UTC)

Oluwafemi "Femi" Javier Azeez Beloso (born 5 June 2001) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL Championship club Millwall.

Contents

After being released from the Watford youth system at age 14, he began his senior career with non-league side Northwood. After making 12 appearances in his debut season, he signed for fellow non-league club Wealdstone in 2018. After his time at Wealdstone, which included a loan at Hanwell Town in 2018, he joined Reading in 2019. He was loaned to Bracknell Town before making his senior debut for Reading in 2021. He became an important part of the team in the 2023–24 season, before signing for Millwall in 2024.

Career

Early career

"He took his opportunity with both hands, he came off the bench and played well, so I gave him a start and he just continued to grow. He started the last six games of the season, which is virtually unheard of for a 16-year-old at that level. It doesn't happen."

Northwood manager Gordon Boateng on Azeez's first team breakthrough. [3]

Azeez joined the youth team of Watford at age nine, but was released at age 14. [3] He later joined the youth side of Northwood following a trial, where he played down the wing and upfront. [3] Interim manager Gordon Boateng was impressed by Azeez while watching him play for the under-18 side, and he handed him his first-team debut aged 16. [3] His debut came in a league match in the eighth tier of English football on 6 February 2018, coming on as a substitute for Jermaine Osei in a 2–0 defeat to Chalfont St Peter. [4] He made his full debut on 21 March 2018, in a 2–0 defeat to Aylesbury United. [5] He ended his debut season with 12 appearances. [6]

Azeez joined National League South side Wealdstone in summer 2018. [7] Azeez was initially signed to play for Wealdstone's youth side, but once against impressed manager Bobby Wilkinson who sent him to train with the first team. [3] He made his debut on 6 November, starting and scoring in a 5–3 win over Uxbridge in the Middlesex Senior Cup. [8] He made his league debut on 1 December in a 3–0 defeat to Eastbourne Borough after coming on as a substitute for David Pratt. [9] Later that month, he signed for Isthmian League South Central Division side Hanwell Town on dual registration. [7] He ended his loan with 4 goals in 4 appearances. [6] He captained Wealdstone in a Middlesex Senior Cup match against Brentford B at age 17, which ended in a 2–0 defeat. [10] He ended the 2018–19 season with 1 goal in 10 appearances for Wealdstone. [6]

Reading

On 18 September 2019, Reading announced the signing of Azeez to their academy on a one-year professional contract. [11] He initially struggled for the under-23s, failing to score in eight matches in the Premier League 2. [3] As a result, on 8 February 2020, Azeez joined Bracknell Town on an initial 28-day loan deal, reuniting with Wealdstone manager Bobby Wilkinson. [3] [12] He made his debut for 'the Robins' on 11 February, in a 0–0 tie to Maldon & Tiptree in the Isthmian League Cup, which Bracknell won 4–1 on penalties. [13] On 2 July 2020, Reading announced that Azeez had signed a new one-year contract with the club. [14] He made his Reading first-team debut on 6 March 2021, coming on as a substitute for Josh Laurent in a 3–0 win over Sheffield Wednesday. [15] On 2 July, Reading announced that Azeez had signed another one-year contract with the club, after scoring 10 goals to become top scorer of the under-23s. [16]

Azeez was handed his first league start for Reading on 7 August, in a 3–2 defeat to Stoke City. [17] He scored his first goal for Reading, and his first professional goal, in a 2–1 win against Preston North End on 14 August 2021 in what was only his second start and home debut. [18] [19] After finishing the season with 2 goals in 14 appearances, he signed a new two-year deal. [20] In the 2022–23 season, he made 23 appearances without scoring. [21] However, Reading were relegated to EFL League One after receiving a six-point deduction in April. [22]

On 25 November 2023, Azeez assisted both goals in a 1–2 away win against Wycombe Wanderers. This was Reading's first away win in the league for over a year. [23] Three days later, he once again assisted as well as scoring a goal in a 5–1 victory over Carlisle United. [24] He became a vital part of the Reading team in the 2023–24 season, making 52 appearances and scoring 8 goals to help Reading survive in League One. [25] [26]

On 8 May 2024, Reading activated a one-year extension to Azeez's contract, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2025. [27] He missed the first two league matches of the season due to a back injury, making his first appearance of the 2024–25 season in a 2–0 win over Wigan Athletic on 17 August. [28] [29]

Millwall

On 21 August 2024, Reading confirmed that Azeez had completed a permanent move to Millwall for a substantial undisclosed fee, after scoring 11 times in 89 appearances for the club. [30] He made his Millwall debut on 24 August, in a 0–0 draw to Hull City. [31] On 23 November, Azeez scored his first Millwall goal, coming off the bench to grab an injury-time equaliser in a 1–1 draw against Sunderland. [32]

Personal life

Azeez was born in England and grew up in Northwood to a Nigerian father and Spanish mother. [3] Azeez's younger brother, Miguel, is also a professional footballer. [3]

Career statistics

As of match played 21 April 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeague FA Cup League Cup OtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Northwood 2017–18 [6] Southern League East Division12000—00120
Wealdstone 2018–19 [6] National League South 8000—2 [a] 1101
Hanwell Town (loan) 2018–19 [6] Isthmian League South Central Division3300—1 [b] 144
Reading 2018–19 [33] Championship 000000—00
2019–20 [34] Championship000000—00
2020–21 [35] Championship100000—10
2021–22 [36] Championship1321000—142
2022–23 [21] Championship2001000—210
2023–24 [26] League One 46821103 [c] 0529
2024–25 [37] League One1000000010
Total81104110308911
Bracknell Town (loan) 2019–20 [38] Isthmian League South Central Division1000—1 [d] 020
Millwall 2024–25 [37] Championship3223210—364
Career total1371573207215320
  1. ↑ Appearance(s) in Middlesex Senior Cup
  2. ↑ Appearance(s) in Middlesex Senior Charity Cup
  3. ↑ Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  4. ↑ Appearance(s) in Isthmian League Cup

References

  1. ↑ "EFL Professional retain list 2021-22" (PDF). EFL.com. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  2. ↑ "Squads - English Football League One 2023/2024". Football Squads. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Binfield" (PDF). Northwood FC. 28 August 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  4. ↑ Piper, Robin (6 February 2018). "Northwood 0 Chalfont St Peter 2". Northwood FC. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  5. ↑ Piper, Robin (21 March 2018). "Aylesbury United 2 Northwood 0". Northwood FC.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Femi Azeez profile". www.aylesburyunitedfc.co.uk. Aylesbury United F.C. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  7. 1 2 "Stones send young striker out for more experience". Non League Daily. 26 December 2018. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  8. ↑ Sam Watts (12 November 2018). "Report – Wealdstone 5 – 3 Uxbridge". WFC History. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  9. ↑ Sam Watts (1 December 2018). "Report - Wealdstone 0 - 3 Eastbourne Boro". Wealdstone F.C. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  10. ↑ Sam Watts (9 January 2019). "Report - Wealdstone 0 - 2 Brentford 'B'". Wealdstone F.C. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  11. ↑ "Academy recruit three promising young players". readingfc.co.uk. Reading F.C. 18 September 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  12. ↑ Bracknell Town F.C. [@BracknellTownFC] (8 February 2020). "We're delighted to announce that Femi Azeez has joined the Robins on an initial 28 day loan from @ReadingFC " (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ↑ Richard Ashton (12 February 2020). "Bracknell Town boss Bobby Wilkinson delighted with loan signing of Reading Under 23s star Femi Azeez". Bracknell News. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
  14. ↑ "Contract update - New U23s contracts offered, two professional deals expire and all loanees agree to extensions until the end of July". readingfc.co.uk. Reading F.C. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  15. ↑ "📝 Match Report | Royals stroll to comfortable home win over Owls". readingfc.co.uk. Reading F.C. 6 March 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  16. ↑ "SEVEN SIGN ON WITH NEW DEALS". readingfc.co.uk/. Reading F.C. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  17. ↑ "The Royals' starting XI and subs for our opening-day game against Stoke City…". readingfc.co.uk/. Reading F.C. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  18. ↑ "Reading 2-1 Preston". BBC. 14 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  19. ↑ "Femi: "I couldn't ask for more!"". readingfc.co.uk/. Reading F.C. 15 August 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  20. ↑ "Femi Azeez commits future to the club by signing up until 2024!". readingfc.co.uk/. Reading F.C. 2 July 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  21. 1 2 "Games played by Femi Azeez in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  22. ↑ "Reading relegated: Huddersfield win sends Royals down to League One". BBC. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  23. ↑ "Wycombe Wanderers 1-2 Reading". BBC. 25 November 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  24. ↑ "Reading 5-1 Carlisle United". BBC. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  25. ↑ Andy Preston (23 August 2024). "Femi Azeez sends farewell message to Reading FC after completing transfer". Wokingham Today. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  26. 1 2 "Games played by Femi Azeez in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  27. ↑ "Reading FC Retained List Confirmed". readingfc.co.uk. Reading F.C. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  28. ↑ "Reading FC set to lose forward star as Millwall make move". Reading Chronicle . 21 August 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  29. ↑ "Report | Reading 2-0 Wigan Athletic". readingfc.co.uk/. Reading F.C. 17 August 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  30. ↑ FC, Reading (21 August 2024). "Femi Azeez joins Millwall". Reading FC. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  31. ↑ "REPORT: Hull City 0-0 Millwall – Lions pick up first point on the road". Southwark News . 24 August 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  32. ↑ "Millwall 1-1 Sunderland: Substitute Femi Azeez scores added-time equaliser for Lions". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  33. ↑ "Games played by Femi Azeez in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  34. ↑ "Games played by Femi Azeez in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  35. ↑ "Games played by Femi Azeez in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  36. ↑ "Games played by Femi Azeez in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  37. 1 2 "Games played by Femi Azeez in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  38. ↑ "Bracknell Town-Appearances-Femi Azeez-2019–2020". Football Web Pages. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
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