| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Junior Olaitan Ishola | ||
| Date of birth | (2002-05-09) 9 May 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Porto-Novo, Benin | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Beşiktaş | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2022 | Ayema | ||
| 2022–2024 | Niort | 42 | (4) |
| 2022–2024 | Niort B | 4 | (2) |
| 2023–2024 | → Troyes (loan) | 20 | (0) |
| 2024 | → Troyes B (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2024 | Troyes | 0 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | Grenoble | 24 | (4) |
| 2025–2026 | Göztepe | 17 | (2) |
| 2026– | Beşiktaş | 14 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021– | Benin | 40 | (5) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15 May 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 31 March 2026 | |||
Junior Olaitan Ishola () (born 9 May 2002) is a Beninese professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Turkish Süper Lig club Beşiktaş and the Benin national team.
Club career
Olaitan began his senior career with the Beninese club Ayéma Adjarra, where he scored 10 goals in 28 matches during the 2020–21 season.[1] Olaitan transferred to the French club Niort on 31 January 2022, signing a three-year contract.[2] He made his professional debut with Niort in a 2–0 Ligue 2 win over Quevilly-Rouen, coming on as a late sub in the 84th minute. He joined Troyes in the 2023 transfer market with a release clause amounting to €1.7 million and his contract is valid until 2025.[3]
On 30 August 2024, Olaitan signed for Ligue 2 club Grenoble on a three-year contract.[4]
On 26 July 2025, Olaitan signed a four-year contract with Göztepe in Turkey.[5]
On 3 February 2026, Olaitan joined Beşiktaş on a permanent three-year deal with an option for another year.[6]
International career
Olaitan was born in Benin to a Nigerian father and Beninese mother, and raised in Nigeria.[7] He debuted with the Benin national team in a 1–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification win over Madagascar on 2 September 2021.[8]
International goals
- As of match played 31 March 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benin | |||
| 2021 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 10 | 3 | |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2026 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 40 | 5 | |
- Scores and results list Benin's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 4 June 2022 | Diamniadio Olympic Stadium, Diamniadio, Senegal |  Senegal | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2. | 23 March 2024 | Stade de la Licorne, Amiens, France |  Ivory Coast | 1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 3. | 1–2 | |||||
| 4. | 10 September 2024 | Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |  Libya | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 5. | 9 September 2025 | Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |  Lesotho | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Career statistics
Club
- As of 5 March 2026[9]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Niort | 2021–22 | Ligue 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | 33 | 3 | 4 | 2 | – | – | 37 | 5 | ||||
| 2023–24 | Championnat National | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 3 | 1 | |||
| Total | 42 | 4 | 4 | 2 | – | – | 46 | 6 | ||||
| Niort B | 2021–22 | Championnat National 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 1 | ||
| 2022–23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 4 | 2 | ||||
| Troyes (loan) | 2023–24 | Ligue 2 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 20 | 0 | ||
| Troyes B (loan) | 2023–24 | Championnat National 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| Grenoble | 2024–25 | Ligue 2 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 25 | 4 | ||
| Göztepe | 2025–26 | Süper Lig | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 18 | 2 | ||
| Beşiktaş | 2025–26 | Süper Lig | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 6 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 112 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 120 | 15 | ||
- Includes Coupe de France, Turkish Cup
References
- Sélo, Arthur (January 31, 2022). "Football / Mercato : le Béninois Junior Olaïtan signe à Niort". banouto.bj (in French). Retrieved April 18, 2022.
- Bonnin, Christian (January 31, 2022). "Junior Olaitan Ishola signe aux Chamois ainsi que Nassim El Hassani - 31 January 2022". La Nouvelle Republique (in French). Retrieved April 18, 2022.
- "Niort vs. Quevilly Rouen - 19 March 2022". Soccerway. 2022-03-19. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
- Géraud, Codjo (2024-08-30). "Junior Olaïtan rejoint Grenoble ! - Bénin Football" (in French). Retrieved 2025-01-28.
- "JUNIOR OLAITAN ISHOLA GÖZTEPE'MİZDE" [JUNIOR OLAITAN ISHOLA IN OUR GÖZTEPE] (in Turkish). Göztepe S.K. 26 July 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
- "Beşiktaşımıza Hoş Geldin Junior Olaitan" [Welcome to Beşiktaş Junior Olaitan] (in Turkish). Beşiktaş J.K. 3 February 2026. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
- Jumeau, Denis (February 8, 2022). "Football – Ligue 2. Junior Ishola Olaitan veut se faire un nom aux Chamois niortais - Courrier de l'Ouest". Courrier de l'Ouest (in French). Retrieved April 3, 2022.
- "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™". www.fifa.com.
- "Junior Olaitan". Soccerway. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
External links
- Junior Olaitan at Soccerway