He has shared a pitch with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and trained alongside the likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mané.
Yet for all those encounters with footballing royalty, the message that perhaps best captures Bobby Adekanye’s eventful career can be found not on a team sheet or in a match report, but on his WhatsApp profile picture: “I never lose. I either win or learn”.
The quote, often attributed to the late Nelson Mandela, has stayed with Bobby over the years, and is particularly apt for someone whose footballing journey has taken him through some of Europe’s most prestigious academies and into the top flights of Italy and Spain.
From Ajax, Barcelona and Liverpool as a highly rated youngster to Lazio, Cádiz and several clubs in the Netherlands and Turkey, Bobby’s journey has brought exhilarating highs as well as difficult setbacks.
Now 27 and embarking on a new chapter with the Lion City Sailors, he is at peace with how his career has unfolded, and hungry to put everything he has learnt to good use.
“I really like this quote. In life or any profession, you can suffer setbacks, but what is most important is how you get back up and learn from them,” shared Bobby.
“You only fail or lose when you do not learn anything from your experiences. Life is not always about the joyous moments; it is also about learning from the tough ones and using them to do better in the future.”
That philosophy has guided Bobby throughout a journey that began in Nigeria and took him to some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
Formative years
Born in Ibadan, Bobby lived in Nigeria until the age of four before moving to Amsterdam to join his father, who had already been working in the Netherlands for several years.
There, he entered Ajax’s renowned youth academy and spent much of his childhood with the Dutch giants before being recruited by FC Barcelona in 2011 at the age of 12.
Becoming part of Barça’s famed La Masia academy was “a dream come true” for Bobby. With his parents remaining in the Netherlands – he did not want them to give up their jobs to relocate – the young winger devoted himself to football, and even managed to secure a treasured photograph with his idol, Messi.
While he dreamt of progressing through the ranks at Barcelona, circumstances beyond his control intervened. After the club were found to have breached FIFA regulations governing the international transfer of minors in signing Bobby and several other youngsters, he was barred from playing competitive matches.
Bobby subsequently spent the 2014/15 season on loan at PSV Eindhoven while awaiting the resolution of the dispute.
By then, his performances had attracted widespread attention. In particular, his acceleration and ability to cut inside from the right drew comparisons in the Netherlands with Arjen Robben, and Bobby found himself with no shortage of options.
PSV wanted him to stay, Ajax were interested in bringing him home, and Barcelona hoped to retain him.
Instead, Bobby chose the bright lights of Liverpool.
The Liverpool chapter
“When Liverpool came calling, it was a no-brainer,” recalled Bobby, who moved to Anfield at the age of 16 in July 2015.
“The club’s incredible comeback in the 2005 UEFA Champions League final in Istanbul had always stayed in my memory, so Liverpool was a dream place for me.”
(Photo: thisisanfield.com)
Nonetheless, Bobby had to overcome early difficulties, including a wait for his work visa and an ankle injury that sidelined him for several months. He eventually established himself as a regular for Liverpool’s Under-18 and Under-23 sides during his four years on Merseyside.
Among his most memorable moments were goals against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Napoli in the UEFA Youth League, as well as strikes against Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in Premier League 2.
He also had several opportunities to train with Jürgen Klopp’s first team at Melwood.
“It was a great time at Liverpool. I trained under Steven Gerrard at youth level, and I was part of a talent group that trained with the first team twice a week,” he recalled.
“It was surreal to train alongside players like Virgil, Philippe Coutinho, Sadio Mané, Salah and Lucas Leiva, who later became my teammate at Lazio.”
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Among Bobby’s closest teammates at Liverpool was Curtis Jones. The pair made 29 appearances together from Under-18 to Under-23 level, with Jones setting up both of Bobby’s goals against PSG and Napoli in September and October 2018 respectively.
“He’s a top player. We played together many times and he gave me a lot of assists back then,” said Bobby.
“He’s Liverpool born and bred, so to see him representing one of the biggest clubs in England and competing among the elite makes me very happy for him.”
However, a first-team appearance ultimately proved elusive. The turning point came during the 2018 pre-season, when Bobby was left out of Liverpool’s tour of the United States despite having featured in earlier friendlies.
Increasingly uncertain about his route into the senior side, he rejected the offer of a new three-year contract and joined Serie A giants Lazio the following season.
“I was 19, turning 20, and I had enjoyed a really good campaign with the Under-23s. I felt I was ready to take that next step into the first-team dressing room,” he explained.
“Liverpool wanted to renew my contract and then send me on loan to League One or the Championship. But I believed in my ability and felt I was ready to play at the highest level, which was why I decided to join Lazio.
“It was unfortunate that I could not make my professional debut for Liverpool, but I have no regrets. I took so much from my time there, and those experiences helped me become the player I am today.”
Finding his feet in senior football
Bobby eventually made his professional breakthrough at Lazio, as he featured three times in the UEFA Europa League and made 11 Serie A appearances.
His first senior goal came in a 5-1 victory over SPAL in February 2020, during a season in which he played alongside the likes of European Golden Shoe winner Ciro Immobile and Sergej Milinković-Savić as Simone Inzaghi’s side finished fourth in Serie A.
(Photo: www.thenationalnews.com)
“It was a great time in Rome. Simone Inzaghi saw a lot of talent in me, and I managed to play several games and score my first professional goal,” reflected Bobby.
“But the mentality in Italy is a little different. Clubs tend to trust more experienced players, and I was still very young, so it was difficult to establish myself as a starter.”
His desire for more regular football led to a loan move to Cádiz CF in October 2020. Although his stay in Spain lasted only three months, it included a memorable 2-1 LaLiga victory over a Barcelona side led by Messi.
That came just months after Bobby had faced Ronaldo in Lazio’s 2-1 Serie A defeat by Juventus in July 2020 — two encounters that underlined the rarefied level at which he was competing.
Maurizio Sarri’s arrival as Inzaghi’s successor at Lazio in the summer of 2021 further complicated Bobby’s prospects. Loan spells at ADO Den Haag and Crotone followed before he left the Italian club in 2022.
“Sarri was honest with me from the first day,” revealed Bobby. “He said, ‘Bobby, you’re not in my plans.’ So I had to move on and find a way to enjoy football again.
“That was why I went on those loans and eventually returned home to the Netherlands. Fortunately, I joined Go Ahead Eagles and regained my confidence there.”
Bobby made more than 70 appearances for Go Ahead in the Eredivisie and domestic cup competitions between 2022 and 2024, before moving to Turkey, where he represented Amedspor and Manisa FK. over the following 18 months.
“Turkey was an interesting experience. The supporters there have so much passion, and if you watched my games, you could see that I played with that same passion,” he said.
“I’m thankful for my time at both clubs, but this is a new chapter. Now, I’m fully focused on the Sailors.”
Docked and ready to go
Bobby admitted he initially knew little about Singapore or the Sailors. However, his research and conversations with the club convinced him to turn down other opportunities in Asia and Europe — including offers from the Netherlands — in favour of an intriguing new challenge.
“There are many positive things about the Sailors. The club has a very good foundation and has already enjoyed a lot of success, but it is still working every year to improve,” he said.
“The team reached an Asian final in the AFC Champions League Two just last year, and the environment here is top-notch.
“After speaking with Director of Football Luka Lalić, everything clicked immediately. From that point, I was just eager to get here.”
Bobby has only been at Mattar Road for a few days, but the facilities at the Sailors Training Centre have already made an impression. He rates it among the top three training environments he has experienced during his career — no small compliment given the clubs he has represented.
The former Netherlands Under-20 international is also pleased to link up with Bart Ramselaar and Lennart Thy, two familiar faces from his time in the Eredivisie.
“I played against both Bart and Lennart in the Eredivisie, so we have some good memories. I’m really glad they’re on my side now,” he said.
“They are highly respected players in the Netherlands, and they are still showing their quality here in Singapore. I hope we can continue growing together.”
Still hungry for more
Bobby’s journey has already been extensively chronicled, from numerous YouTube compilations to features by major British media outlets and Liverpool-focused publications.
Plenty has happened since he first entered Ajax’s academy, but at just 27, Bobby believes his best years remain ahead of him.
Now, he is hungry to show Sailors fans exactly what he can do, and to live out the mantra that has accompanied him throughout his career: “I never lose. I either win or learn.”
“I’m in the prime of my career, so there is no better time to show my teammates, the staff and the fans that I’m ready to give everything and demonstrate what I’m capable of,” he said.
“I’m a player who likes to dribble, take defenders on one-versus-one and beat my marker. As a winger, I want to score goals and provide assists.
“Most importantly, I want to step up in the biggest games and in the moments that really matter to help the team.
“I have gained a lot of experience from every part of my journey, and I know that bringing it here can help my teammates. This team has big ambitions for the season, and I’m excited to help us achieve them all — and hopefully finish the campaign with big smiles.”
