| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 12 February 1993 | ||
| Place of birth | Leyton, London, England | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Arsenal | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001– | Arsenal | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2009– | Arsenal | 0 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 2008 | England U16 | 3 | (4) |
| 2009–2010 | England U17 | 23 | (11) |
| 2010– | England U19 | 3 | (4) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Benik Afobe (born 12 February 1993) is an English footballer from Leyton of Congolese descent who plays as a striker for Arsenal. He made his debut for the Arsenal Reserves aged 16, beating Jack Wilshere's record as the youngest ever reserve,[1] and scored 11 goals in 13 appearances for Arsenal's under 18 squad. He was part of the England U-17 squad that won the U-17 European Championship in May 2010.[2] He signed a professional contract with Arsenal in February 2010.
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Afobe joined the Arsenal F.C. Academy aged six; he was playing for a Sunday team in Dagenham when he was spotted by an Arsenal scout.[3] He scored 40 goals for the U-15s in 2007/08,[4] 11 goals in 13 appearances in 2008/09, and 21 goals in 24 appearances for Arsenal U-18 in 2009/10.[5] He was voted Arsenal's U-18 player of the season.[6] He signed a professional contract with Arsenal in February 2010, after reportedly being targeted by Barcelona.[7] [8] The Guardian has called him "powerful and pacy"[9] and commented that he "is already being furtively whispered up as the next, next big thing."[1]
He captained England under-12s at the Junior World Cup in France in 2005.[3]
In 2008, Afobe was part of the England U-16 team that won the Victory Shield, scoring four goals in three games,[10][11] equalling Michael Owen's England U-16 record.[4] He was also part of the England U-17 squad that won the U-17 European Championship in May 2010.[2][12] The Guardian's sports blog called him "among the best of the crop" and "a prolific striker".[13] He joined the England U-19 squad in August 2010.[14]
Benik's father Afobe moved to the UK from Congo with his wife in 1990 due to political unrest. He was born in Leyton, and he has two sisters.[3]
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