1. Overview
Joseph Oluwaseyi Temitope Ayodele-Aribo (born July 21, 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Southampton and the Nigeria national team. Born in Camberwell, England, Aribo began his club career at Staines Town, then spent four years with Charlton Athletic in the English Football League. In 2019, he signed for Rangers, where he achieved significant success, winning the Scottish Premiership in 2021 and the Scottish Cup in 2022, also reaching the UEFA Europa League final. He joined Southampton in 2022, experiencing Premier League relegation before securing promotion back to the top flight in 2024. Aribo made his international debut for Nigeria in 2019 and has since represented his country in major tournaments, including the Africa Cup of Nations, where he was a runner-up in 2023.
2. Early Life and Youth Career
Joseph Oluwaseyi Temitope Ayodele-Aribo was born on July 21, 1996, in Camberwell, England. He started his football development at the Kinetic Academy and later joined the youth setup at Staines Town. During his time with Staines Town, Aribo was recognized for his potential, earning the club's Academy Player of the Year award in April 2014 while playing under Marcus Gayle in the Isthmian League Premier Division.
3. Club Career
Joe Aribo's professional club career has seen him progress through several English and Scottish clubs, marked by notable transfers, significant contributions to team successes, and participation in major competitions.
3.1. Staines Town
Aribo's senior career began at Staines Town, where he played under manager Marcus Gayle in the Isthmian League Premier Division. His talent was evident early on, as he was awarded the club's Academy Player of the Year in April 2014. During the 2014-15 season, he made 22 league appearances for the club.
3.2. Charlton Athletic
In September 2015, Aribo joined Charlton Athletic after a successful trial period, and in May 2016, he signed his first professional contract with the club for one year. He made his first-team debut on October 16, 2016, coming on as a 62nd-minute substitute for Andrew Crofts in a 2-0 loss to Crawley Town during an EFL Trophy group stage match at The Valley. His EFL League One debut followed on December 17 of the same year, replacing Fredrik Ulvestad in a 2-0 home defeat to Peterborough United. Just six days later, Charlton extended his contract until 2019.
Aribo scored his first career goal on November 1, 2017, a winning strike in a 3-2 home victory against Fulham under-21 in the EFL Trophy group stage. His inaugural league goal came on December 23, opening a 1-1 draw with Blackpool at The Valley. Throughout the 2017-18 season, he netted four more goals, including a brace on April 2, 2018, in a 3-1 win against Rotherham United, helping Charlton to a sixth-place finish and a spot in the playoffs.
In the 2018-19 season, Aribo was instrumental, scoring in each of the last three league games, contributing to victories over Scunthorpe United, Gillingham, and Rochdale, as Charlton finished third. On May 12, he scored in a 2-1 away win against Doncaster Rovers in the first leg of the playoff semi-finals, ultimately contributing to Charlton's promotion.
3.3. Rangers
At the end of the 2018-19 season, despite being offered a new contract by Charlton, Aribo chose to sign a four-year deal with Scottish Premiership club Rangers. He made his competitive debut for Rangers on July 9, 2019, in a 4-0 victory over St Joseph's of Gibraltar in the Europa League. Eight days later, in the second leg at Ibrox, he scored his first goal for the club, contributing to a 6-0 win. On September 25, he suffered a head wound from Livingston's Ricki Lamie and was substituted after 20 minutes, requiring 20 stitches and being ruled out for a month. Upon his return to Almondvale, he scored his first league goal in a 2-0 win on November 10.
Aribo played a significant role in Rangers' 2020-21 title-winning season, contributing seven goals, including two in an 8-0 rout of Hamilton Academical on November 8. In May, manager Steven Gerrard praised Aribo for his versatility and selflessness, particularly for playing as an emergency left-back due to Borna Barišić's absence in a 3-0 victory against Livingston. Gerrard commented, "That left-back performance is as good as we have seen in my three years that I have been here. So well done to him for parking his ego and doing a fantastic job for his teammates."
In the 2021-22 season, Aribo played 17 Europa League games as Rangers reached the final. He opened the scoring in the 1-1 final draw against Eintracht Frankfurt on May 18, though Rangers ultimately lost on penalties. Across all competitions that season, he appeared in 57 games, scoring nine goals and providing 10 assists.
3.4. Southampton
On July 9, 2022, Aribo moved to Southampton, signing a four-year contract. He made his Premier League debut on August 6, 2022, in Southampton's 4-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. A week later, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2-2 draw against Leeds United. In his first season with Southampton, the club was relegated from the Premier League.
On December 26, 2023, Aribo scored his first goal of the 2023-24 season in a 5-0 victory against Swansea City. He played in the 2024 EFL Championship play-off final against Leeds United on May 26, 2024, a match which Southampton won 1-0, securing their promotion back to the Premier League. In the 2023-24 season, Aribo played 49 matches across all competitions, scoring four goals.
4. International Career
In August 2019, Joe Aribo received his first call-up to the Nigeria national football team by manager Gernot Rohr for a friendly match against Ukraine. He made his debut in that game in Dnipro on September 10, scoring in the fourth minute of a 2-2 draw. On October 13, he scored Nigeria's goal in another friendly, a 1-1 draw with Brazil in Singapore.
Aribo was part of the Nigeria squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations held in Cameroon, where he played in two group-stage victories and the 1-0 elimination by Tunisia in the round of 16. He was also a member of the squad that reached the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where Nigeria finished as runner-up.
5. Style of Play
Joe Aribo is known as a versatile player who can effectively operate in various midfield roles, both centrally and in wider positions. He is technically proficient and skilled in using his long legs to effectively shield the ball from opponents. In October 2016, Aribo himself described his strengths as "driving with the ball and getting up the pitch," highlighting his ability to carry the ball forward and contribute to attacks.
6. Career Statistics
Comprehensive statistical data of Joe Aribo's professional career, including appearances and goals for both club and national teams.
6.1. Club
The table below provides a comprehensive overview of Joe Aribo's club career statistics. The 'National cup' column includes the FA Cup and Scottish Cup, while 'League cup' covers the EFL Cup and Scottish League Cup. The 'Europe' column details appearances in UEFA Europa League and UEFA Champions League. The 'Other' column accounts for appearances in competitions such as the FA Trophy, EFL Trophy, and various league play-offs.
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Staines Town | 2014-15 | Conference South | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 1 | 0 | 25 | 0 | ||
| Charlton Athletic | 2015-16 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2016-17 | League One | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
| 2017-18 | League One | 26 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 7 | 1 | 36 | 6 | ||
| 2018-19 | League One | 36 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 3 | 1 | 39 | 10 | ||
| Total | 81 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 12 | 2 | 97 | 16 | |||
| Rangers | 2019-20 | Scottish Premiership | 27 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 15 | 4 | - | 49 | 9 | |
| 2020-21 | Scottish Premiership | 31 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | - | 43 | 8 | ||
| 2021-22 | Scottish Premiership | 34 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 1 | - | 57 | 9 | ||
| Total | 92 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 42 | 6 | - | 149 | 26 | |||
| Southampton | 2022-23 | Premier League | 21 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | - | 27 | 2 | ||
| 2023-24 | Championship | 35 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 3 | 0 | 40 | 4 | ||
| 2024-25 | Premier League | 26 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | - | 31 | 3 | |||
| Total | 82 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 | - | 3 | 0 | 98 | 9 | |||
| Career total | 277 | 41 | 17 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 42 | 6 | 16 | 2 | 369 | 51 | ||
6.2. International
Appearances and goals by national team and year
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 2019 | 4 | 2 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 34 | 2 | |
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 10, 2019 | Dnipro-Arena, Dnipro, Ukraine | 1 |  Ukraine | 1-0 | 2-2 | Friendly |
| 2 | October 13, 2019 | National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore | 2 |  Brazil | 1-0 | 1-1 | Friendly |
7. Honours
Charlton Athletic
- EFL League One play-offs: 2019
Rangers
- Scottish Premiership: 2020-21
- Scottish Cup: 2021-22
- Scottish League Cup runner-up: 2019-20
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2021-22
Southampton
- EFL Championship play-offs: 2024
Nigeria
- Africa Cup of Nations runner-up: 2023
Individual
- Rangers Young Player of the Year: 2019-20
- Rangers Goal of the Season: 2019-20
Orders
- Member of the Order of the Niger