Early career Afolayan joined Harrow St Marys at under-5 level and moved into the
youth system at
Chelsea at the age of nine, having turned down the chance of a rival offer from
Arsenal. He struggled with his short stature as a teenager and was restricted to playing as a
winger. at
Merchant Taylors School. At the age of 15, Afolayan moved to Canada and spent time in
Toronto FC's reserve squad in
League1 Ontario and the
Premier Development League. He later said that despite being just 16 he "trained with the first team quite a bit and played with the likes of
Jermain Defoe,
Michael Bradley,
Jozy Altidore and
Sebastian Giovinco". He also played for the
University of Toronto Varsity Blues, while in Canada. Afolayan returned to England at the age of 18 to study a civil engineering degree at
Loughborough University. He spent time playing youth football at
Barnet and
Tooting & Mitcham United. He went on to play for the
Loughborough University football team whilst studying, scoring three goals in 11 appearances for the club in the
Midland League.
Solihull Moors in 2017. On 7 February 2017, Afolayan signed for
National League club
Solihull Moors; he had previously been on trial at
Rochdale. Four days after joining the Moors, Afolayan scored on his debut, scoring the final goal in a 3–0 win over
Sutton United at
Damson Park. He scored four goals in 15 games in the
2016–17 season and turned fully professional at the club in the summer, switching his engineering degree at Loughborough University for an online course. On 27 January 2018, Afolayan scored in his final game for the club, in a 3–1 win against
Dagenham & Redbridge. Despite leaving the club half way through the campaign, he was Solihull's top-scorer for the entire
2017–18 season with 11 goals in 35 matches; Solihull ended the season in 18th place under the stewardship of
Mark Yates.
West Ham United On 1 February 2018, Afolayan signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with
Premier League club
West Ham United. On 31 January 2019, he joined
League Two side
Oldham Athletic on loan until the end of the
2018–19 season. He made his
Football League debut for Oldham in a 3–1 loss away to
Bury on 23 February; he came onto the pitch as a 76th-minute substitute for
Zak Dearnley. In total he made four starts and six substitute appearances during his time at
Boundary Park and said he learned a lot form working under manager
Paul Scholes. He returned to League Two on a half-season loan with
Mansfield Town on 29 August 2019. He scored his first Football League goal on 12 October, in a 6–1 win over former club Oldham Athletic at
Field Mill; he also won a penalty in the game. Manager
John Dempster said: "What impressed me was the distance he covered. He was pressing all over the pitch. He ran himself into the ground." On 23 January 2021, Afolayan made his debut for West Ham, appearing as a substitute and scoring in a 4–0
FA Cup win against
Doncaster Rovers. Bolton had the option to make the deal permanent at the end of his loan. His debut came on 9 February, when he came on as a substitute for
Lloyd Isgrove in a 1–1 draw against
Morecambe. His first start came four days later in a 1–0 win against
Stevenage. He scored his first goal for Bolton on the final day of the season, scoring Bolton's second goal in a 4–1 win against
Crawley Town, the win confirming Bolton's promotion to
League One. On 27 May 2021, Afolayan signed a permanent three-year contract with Bolton, after Bolton activated the option clause in the loan agreement. Afolayan started off the
2021–22 EFL League One campaign in excellent form, scoring six goals in the opening eleven games and was voted as Bolton's Player of the Month for both August and September 2021. He finished the season with 14 goals, making him Bolton's leading scorer, and he was voted as the
club's Player of the Year for the 2021–22 season. The 2022–2023 season saw Bolton change
formation. In addition to that, as well as new signings playing well, his playing time became limited with Bolton trying to play him in various different positions to no avail. As a result, in January 2023, Afolayan was the subject of transfer bids from multiple clubs, with it being confirmed that Afolayan would leave the club and they would be able to cope without him.
FC St. Pauli On 19 January 2023, Afolayan signed for
2. Bundesliga side
FC St. Pauli after originally having three bids rejected by Bolton Wanderers, their fourth bid finally meeting Bolton's valuation. The fee was undisclosed,
Blackburn Rovers On 1 February 2026, Afolayan signed for
Blackburn Rovers on an 18-month contract, for an undisclosed fee. ==International career==