Jobs4Football meets Iyiola Adebayo
Jobs4Football met with Iyiola Adebayo, an English centre midfielder playing for Hashtag United. I spoke to Iyiola about growing up at West Ham United, his role as a Sales manager at Jobs4Football and how football has benefited him in his career.
Adebayo’s footballing journey started at his primary school only aged 8, during a community session with West Ham United. Iyiola caught the eye of one of the scouts “and from there it all took off.” Adebayo played for West Ham on the U18’s, U21’s and the U23 team, during this time he perfected his role as a footballer and his position on the pitch.
“I’m definitely a centre midfielder, I have spent some time at centre back whilst I was coming back from a few injuries. I wasn’t physically in the best condition, so centre back was a good opportunity for me to work on my defensive side and my understanding of the game. I had to learn to be a lot smarter, my position had to improve a lot which ultimately helped me as a midfielder.”
Adebayo was more surprised than upset over his release from West Ham, but due to his injuries and not playing as much as he would have liked to, the decision was understandable. Iyiola joined Hashtag United on August 25th 2021 after an opportunity to join came around, and fit into the team straight away. “I’m a social person, I like being around different character’s, it’s a great experience for me.”
Adebayo found the change from West Ham to Hashtag to be easy tactically as he is given the freedom to express himself on the pitch. “I’m not afraid to be an individual, I like to show my qualities on the pitch and my style of play. I’ll always try and put my imprint on the game, because that’s what I’m there for, to be myself.”
Iyiola was introduced to Jobs4Football in 2021 through the kickstart scheme and hasn’t looked back since. “Initially I was coming in to do Data analyst work, and then they give me the opportunity to get into sales and it just suited me perfectly.” Iyiola balances his passion of football and his drive for sales throughout his daily life. He hopes to one day create and evolve his own brand.
“I’ve always had an eye for sales and marketing and I’m good at talking to people. I’m a creative person and I enjoy the idea of building brands to help people. I’m looking to do other things in the sports industry where I can provide opportunities to others. I’m still young and learning but I hope that I can have a good impact on the sales industry.”
Adebayo told me that he likes to stay focused on the present and not look too far into the future, but I was eager to find out if he has any goals, he sets himself. “Over the last 6 months I’ve noticed that a lot of things in football are out of your control. The type of goals I set for myself are more improvement based. I look at certain parts of my game and try to improve them. I have seen that when I’m at my best is when I am enjoying it the most.”
Iyiola’s passion for the game came across in his answers, I was able to tell how motivated he is by football. He loves the game and truly believes in himself to become the best version he can possibly be. “My passion for the game comes from watching the elite players, the beauty in which they play for, makes me want to go out there and replicate it. I love watching football, sometimes I think I love watching it more than I love playing it. I was watching the Champions league game, seeing the likes of Modric and Verrati and trying to practise what they are doing in my bedroom. That’s the main thing that gets me going, wanting to be the best I can and show myself how good I can be.”
Iyiola looks up to the footballing legends whilst also bestowing individualism and the power to create himself through the beautiful game. I was intrigued by Iyiola’s confidence and admiration but I wanted to know whom he thinks is best in the midfield position in his opinion. “If I had to choose one, I would say Paul Pogba. I like the way he plays; I like the way he can change the game by himself. He always plays with such personality; I love when players bring their style into their gameplay.
Balancing Football and Business can be tough, but Iyiola has maintained a level head and has the maturity of a professional on the pitch as well as off it. For a 19-year-old to be in the position he is now, only proves that Iyiola has what it takes to become a professional at the game. “Football’s biggest benefit to me has been allowing me to have part of my life that I can have as an escape. On the pitch it’s just me and the ball, I’m not thinking about all the other stuff in my life. All I think about is what I am going to do next.”