Malik Owolabi-Belewu

Abdul-Malik Justin Owolabi-Belewu (born 3 July 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Chesterfield in EFL League Two.

Early life Born in London, England, Owolabi-Belewu began playing youth football with the Junior Red Spartans. When he was 13, he moved to London, Ontario, Canada with his family. In 2018, he joined the Toronto FC Academy.

In 2020, he returned to England. however was unable to attend due to COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions. He also had interest from English clubs Crystal Palace and Sunderland, Italian club AS Roma, German club Hertha Berlin, Belgian club Anderlecht, and French club OGC Nice. In 2020, he had been set to join Phoenix Sports F.C. in the English eighth tier Isthmian League, however, before officially signing, Italian club SPAL invited him for a trial. He spent the majority of the time with the U19 squad, making the bench for the first team for two cup matches, but not making an appearance.

In April 2022, he signed for Canadian Premier League club Forge FC. On 14 May 2022, Owolabi-Belewu made his debut for the club in a 1–1 draw with Atlético Ottawa. He scored his first goal on 1 October 2022, against York United. He won the CPL title with the club in 2022. In October 2023, he helped Forge win their fourth league title, following a 2–1 win over Cavalry FC in the play-off final. After the 2024 season, the club picked up his option for the 2025 season. On 7 August 2025, he agreed a deal to sign for League Two side Chesterfield on 1 January 2026 after the expiration of his contract with Forge.

International career At international level, he is eligible to represent England through birth, and Nigeria through his parents.

In 2017, he attended a camp with the Canada U15 national team.

In 2020, he committed to representing Nigeria at international level.

Career statistics