Leon Balogun: Biography, Parents, Wife, Mother, Family, Stats, and Salary

Leon Balogun is a professional football player who plays as a defender for Rangers as well as for the Nigerian national football team. Since making his debut in 2007, Balogun has become a defense force for all the clubs he has played for and also one of the best defenders for the Super Eagles.

Leon Balogun Biography

Though a Nigerian, Leon Balogun was not born in Germany on the 28th of June, 1988 to a Nigerian father, Cesar Balogun, and a German mother called Orfa Balogun. The footballer has only one sibling, a girl; Miriam Balogun.

Even though he has spent most of his life outside Nigeria, Balogun has always confessed that he feels a connection to the land of his father’s birth.

Although Balogun was born in a strict Roman Catholic home and was sent to a  Catholic school from quite a young age, he began to get bitter and indignant about his very strict upbringing and the strict rules at the Christian school and soon became an atheist in his formative years. According to him, he even made fun of the nuns in his school and all about religion.

However, his atheistic beliefs did not stay with him for too long. This is because when he began his footballing career, the intense hardships of those early days hit him really hard. He was very young and people were already making fun of him, a thing which made him cry a lot in private. It was during this hard time that he started believing in God again. He once revealed that his new belief in God gave him the strength to carry on. Balogun is now a devout Christian.

Leon Balogun Begins To Play Football

Football has always had a special place in Leon Balogun’s heart and he began trying out his skills while still a little boy. From an early age, he tried his hands at football by joining local German youth clubs such as Hertha BSC and Hertha Zehlendorf.

Balogun began playing football professionally when he joined Turkiyemspor Berlin in 2007. He remained in the cub till 2008 when he left after making as many as 29 appearances. In those 29 appearances, Balogun scored 4 goals for the club.

After leaving Turkiyemspor Berlin, Balogun joined Hannover 96 II in 2008, the reserve team for Hannover 96. He remained there till 2010, having as many as 37 appearances for the club and scoring 1 goal in those appearances.  Within this time, Balogun also joined Hannover 96, making his Bundesliga debut for the club on 19 April 2009 when he played in a game against Hamburger SV. As a defender, his smooth skill at stopping attackers in his box was already becoming discussed among fans.

Balogun soon left Hannover 96 and joined Werder Bremen from 2010 to 2012. The footballer scored 4 goals for the club in 49 appearances. He then signed a contract with Fortuna Düsseldorf, a 2. Bundesliga side in Germany in 2012. Balogun appeared for the club 32 times, scoring one goal in the process.

When his contract with Fortuna Düsseldorf expired in 2014, Balogun stayed without a club for as many as 3 months. However, he soon joined Darmstadt 98 the same year, signing a contract till the end of the 2014-15 season. The footballer ended up scoring 4 goals in 21 appearances for the club and keeping the defense formidable.

From Darmstadt 98, Leon went on to join Mainz, another German club in July 2015. He played as a center-back and ended up making as many as 58 appearances, helping the club ultimately avoid going into relegation that season.

He Started Playing Professional in 2009

Leon Balogun finally left Germany to play in England in 2018. On the 22nd day of May 2018, he signed a two-year deal with Brighton & Hove Albion.

The footballer made his debut as an early substitute when Brighton played against Manchester United. In the game in which the team went on to beat United, Balogun came on to replace an injured teammate, Lewis Dunk.

He scored his first goal for Brighton when the club played against their bitter rivals, Crystal Palace. In fact, he scored within 25 seconds after being subbed on to replace teammate Pascal Groß. Brighton ended up winning the match 3:1.

Leon Balogun’s International career

Although he was, as stated, born in Germany, Leon has always dreamed of playing for Nigeria. In one of his interviews, Balogun explained that he used to edit himself into video games to play for Nigeria.

His dream finally came true when he was called up in 2014 by the then Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi to play for Nigeria in a friendly against Mexico. Balogun was called up as a replacement for Joseph Yobo.

Balogun began the match at halftime but soon got injured in the course of the game after just 20 minutes on the field. The footballer had fractured his foot.

When he recovered, Balogun played his second game with the Super Eagles against Uganda in March 2015. The Nigerian team lost the game 1-0. His third cap came three months later in June when he appeared to play against Chad in which Nigeria recorded a 2-0 win. It was the opening game of the 2017 African Nations Cup qualification matches.

See Also: Mikel Obi: Net Worth, Salary, Biography, Age, And Family

In June 2018, he was named as part of Nigeria’s final 23-man squad to take part in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, during which he made a good showing himself.

By the end of 2018, the defender has played as many as 23 games for Nigeria. He has not scored a goal yet for the Super Eagles but has become famous for his skills at defending which is his primary role.

The Super Eagles Player is 6 ft 3 Inches Tall

Apart from his skills and stamina, Leon Balogun is also a man of height. He stands at a massive 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) tall.

Leon Balogun’s Salary and Net Worth

Although there is no official statement about what he receives, it is speculated that Leon Balogun earns around $307,36.25 per week.

The footballer now has an estimated net worth of more than $1 million. Also, Balogun’s market value is pegged at  £1.80 million ($2.90 million) as of 2018.

Leon Balogun’s Girlfriend is Mayara Zamboni

Leon Balogun is currently dating model Mayara Zamboni. The pair have been dating for a while now and they spend so much time together. The Brazilian model has worked with several brands and agencies as seen on her Instagram.