Michael Folorunsho
- Dag Jenkins

- Jan 31
- 3 min read
Michael Ijemuan Folorunsho was born in Rome, on February 7, 1998. He is Italian but his parents are of Nigerian origins.

He played for various youth teams in Rome, Vigor Perconti, Tor Sapienza and Savio before joining the Lazio academy in 2014. A satisfaction for him as they are the club he supports.
In 2016-17 he was an unused substitute a few times in the first team under Simone Inzaghi but left at the end of the season.
In 2017 he joined Virtus Francavilla in Serie C. He stayed two seasons and the Biancazzurri finished 9th and 6th. He played 66 games with 8 goals. His managers were Gaetano D'Agostino in the first year and Nunzio Zavettieri and then Bruno Trocini in the second.
In 2019 he was signed by Napoli but immediately sent out on loan to Bari in Serie C. The Galletti finished 2nd but lost the playoff final to Reggio Audace. Folorunsho played 15 games, first under Giovanni Cornacchini and then Andrea Milani.
In 2020 he was loaned to Reggina in Serie B. The Amaranto finished 11th, first under Domenico Toscano and then future Lazio manager, Marco Baroni. Folorunsho played 32 games with 6 goals.
In 2021 he was loaned to Pordenone in Serie B but only stayed until January. He played 17 games with 3 goals, under three different managers: Massimo Paci (1-2), Massimo Rastelli (3-8) and Bruno Tedino (9 onwards). The Neroverdi were eventually relegated.
In January 2022 he went back to Reggina in B. He played 15 games with 2 goals under Roberto Stellone and the Reggini finished 14th. His teammates included former Lazio, Cristiano Lombardi.
In the summer of 2022 he returned to Bari on loan in Serie B. He played 32 games with 9 goals under Michele Magnani and the Biancorossi finished 3rd. They then went to the playoffs but lost the final 1-2 on aggregate to a 94th minute winner against Claudio Ranieri's Cagliari. The Cockerels were one minute from Serie A.
In 2023-24 he finally played in Serie A anyway, on loan with Verona. The Scaligeri managed to obtain a hard-fought survival under Marco Baroni. Folorunsho had a good season, playing 34 league games and scoring 5 goals (Monza, Roma, Juventus, Lecce, Salernitana). His teammates included Lazio connections Davide Faraoni (1998-2010), Tijjani Noslin (2024-), Reda Belahyane (Feb 2025-)
In 2024 he went back to parent club Napoli. He stayed until January, playing 7 games (6 in A) under Antonio Conte. The Azzurri would eventually win the Scudetto.
In January 2025 he was loaned to Fiorentina. He played 13 league games and 5 in the Conference League. La Viola finished 6th under Raffaele Paladino and reached the semi-finals of Conference League (Betis Sevilla 3-4 a.e.t). He played alongside Lazio player on loan, Danilo Cataldi.
In July 2025 he returned to Cagliari on loan. He is currently playing for the Sardinians, under manager Fabio Pisacane.
Folorunsho has earned 2 caps for Italy, a friendly against Bosnia Herzegovina and Euro qualifier against Albania, both in 2024.
Folorunsho is a midfielder. He is 1.90 and 92 kilos so is physically strong. He can attack and defend making him a versatile player. He is quick despite his size and is renowned for his well-timed runs into the opponent's box. He also possesses a good long-range shot.
He has had a decent club career so far but has not made that last step to a top level. He has not been helped by changing clubs so often.
He is a Lazio fan, attending games in the Curva Nord in his youth and since he left the Biancocelesti there has often been talk of a possible return but until now it has not materialised.
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