Leon Zion Oluwatobi Ayinde (born 5 September 2004) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Doncaster Rovers and is a Republic of Ireland youth international.
Ayinde was born in Cork and played youth football with Leeds AFC Cork, St. Mary's and Cork City before being signed by Ipswich Town. He has also spent time on loan with Rochdale.
Youth career Ayinde played schoolboy football with Leeds AFC Cork, winning the Cork Schoolboys League U13 player of the year followed by a spell with Munster Senior League side St. Mary's, before joining by local League of Ireland club Cork City at Under-14 level.
Club career Cork City On 28 March 2022 Ayinde made his senior debut for Cork at the age of 17 in the Munster Senior Cup in a 3–0 win over Midleton.
Ipswich Town On 31 January 2023, Ayinde was signed by EFL Championship side Ipswich Town. Ayinde made his first appearance on the bench for Ipswich on 9 August 2023 in an EFL Cup match vs Bristol Rovers.
Rochdale (loan) On 30 August 2024, it was announced that Ayinde had joined National League side Rochdale on loan for half a season. On January 8 it was announced that Anyinde’s loan had been extended until the end of the season.
Boreham Wood (loan) On 13 February 2026, Ayinde joined National League side Boreham Wood on loan until the end of the season. Ayinde played in the 2025–26 National League Cup final, as Boreham Wood defeated the West Ham United U21s on penalties to win the cup.
Doncaster Rovers On 20 May 2026, Ayinde agreed to join League One club Doncaster Rovers on a two-year deal from 1 July.
International career Ayinde is eligible to play for both the Republic of Ireland and Nigeria.
In October 2025 Ayinde received his first call-up to the Republic of Ireland U21s, with him making his debut in his hometown of Cork at Turners Cross in a Euros qualifier against Slovakia. Ayinde was brought on as a substitute in the 68th minute however after only six minutes he had to be taken off due to an injury.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsCork City2022LOI First Division0000—2020Ipswich Town2023–24Championship000000—002024–25Premier League00———002025–26Championship000000—00Total0000000000Rochdale (loan)2024–25National League272002150343Boreham Wood (loan)2025–26132002030182Doncaster Rovers2026–27EFL League One0000000000Career total4040041100545
Honours Boreham Wood National League Cup: 2025–26
References