RAPID RISE
I’m a former Premier League academy star who’s gone from non-league to facing Harry Kane after firing club to promotion
The ex-West Ham man SCORED in his only appearance for the East London club
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DAPO AFOLAYAN'S meteoric rise from non-league to the Bundesliga was completed on Sunday as FC St. Pauli clinched promotion to the German top flight.
The former West Ham and Bolton forward, 26, scored twice to hand his side a a 3-1 win over VFL Osnabruck and seal their spot in the Bundesliga next season.
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It takes his tally to 10 goals this season - and 11 in 48 games since arriving in January last year.
St. Pauli have been outside the Bundesliga since they were relegated at the end of the 2010/11 season.
But it is Afolayan's individual rise that will be the main takeaway for many English football fans.
He : "NON LEAGUE TO THE BUNDESLIGA!!!!! ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE ✝️ ❤️."
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After being released by Chelsea's youth academy when he chose his schooling over football, Afolayan spent time at the likes of Toronto, Barnet, Tooting & Mitcham and Loughborough University.
The Harrow-born attacker then spent 18 months with Solihull Moors in the National League, before he was picked up by West Ham in 2018.
But three years in East London brought about just one appearance for the Hammers - which came in the FA Cup against Doncaster in 2021 as he scored in a 4-0 win.
His time at West Ham included loan spells with Oldham, Mansfield and Bolton, before he joined the latter on a permanent deal in February 2021.
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Afolayan scored 20 times in 80 games for the League One side and won their Player of the Year award in his first season.
He joined St. Pauli for a reported £500,000 in January 2023 after Bolton accepted the German club's FOURTH bid.
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And now, after helping them secure promotion to the Bundesliga, Afolayan can look forward to facing the likes of Harry Kane's Bayern Munich and the unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen next season.
St. Pauli will be a welcome addition to the Bundesliga as they are well-known for their eccentricities and far-left political stance.
In 2017, they donated 1,000 litres of free beer to fans after surviving relegation.
They also have unique amenities inside their near-30,000 stadium including a "sausage train" for VIP fans who want to order food without leaving their seat.
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