Nigerian-American soccer player
Rilwan FHW (born 3 December 1987), formerly known as Rilwan Salawu, is a Nigerian-born American soccer player who plays for Electsports FC of Limbe in the Cameroon First Division. He plays primarily as a defensive midfielder, but has played as a striker or holding midfielder in the past.
Early life.
He was born in Lagos, Nigeria where he was a member of the Pepsi Academy. He moved to Brooklyn New York at a young age and soon developed an interest in basketball and played varsity basketball at Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School, but he opted to play soccer at the college level.
Club career.
He played soccer briefly for [[SUNY Cobleskill]] in upstate New York and then transferred to [[SUNY Binghamton]] in 2008. He was officially invited to join the Nigerian U-20 side, while on a trip to Nigeria in the summer of 2008. The team was then coached by Ladan Bosso and they were preparing for the 2009 U-20 African Qualification Tournament in Sudan. His late birthday was days before the cut-off and this prevented him from making the final selection of the Nigeria U-20 team, however this opportunity kick-started his professional football career.
He went on to play for Maxbees FC, a second division team in Ghana, and several [[Premier Development League]] (PDL) teams in the United States, most notably the [[Brooklyn Knights]], the [[Westchester Flames]] and the [[FC JAX Destroyers]]. He then moved to Europe and played for [[Kjellerup IF]] in the Danish 2nd Division, where he featured in the DBU Cup, and in Turkey for Kurtalanspor and Bulancakspor.
He joined the [[Belmopan Bandits]] in Belize in 2017, and featured in their inaugural CONCACAF League appearance. In 2018, he continued with the Belmopan Bandits and won the Belize Premier League and a second qualification for the [[CONCACAF League]]. He won the 2018–19 Belize Premier League again and also featured in the 2018 CONCACAF League.
In the 2022–2023 season, he played for Ole FC in the American UPSL, scoring 3 goals and providing 7 assists. He captained the side to win the conference and regional championships, leading them to the Elite 8 of the national tournament before losing to Columbus Crew.
In 2023, he joined Elect Sports FC in Limbe, Cameroon, and made an immediate impact by scoring the fastest goal in league history during his debut, netting the ball in the first minute of the game.
International career.
He was invited to join the Nigerian U-20 side in 2008, coached by Ladan Bosso, but did not make the final selection due to his late birthday. Despite this, he remains active from the 2008 class of Flying Eagles and aspires to represent Nigeria at the senior level.
Personal life.
On January 28, 2023, Rilwan changed his last name from Salawu to FHW, marking the 25th anniversary of his move from Nigeria to the U.S., with the acronym "FHW" standing for Faith &amp; Hard Work.
References.
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External links.
[[Category:1987 births]]
[[Category:Nigerian men's footballers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American men's soccer players]]
[[Category:Men's association football midfielders]]
[[Category:Belmopan Bandits players]]
[[Category:Westchester Flames players]]
[[Category:FC JAX Destroyers players]]
[[Category:Kjellerup IF players]]
[[Category:Atlanta Silverbacks FC players]]
[[Category:Premier League of Belize players]]
[[Category:USL League Two players]]
[[Category:Nigerian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:African-American soccer players]]
[[Category:American sportspeople of Nigerian descent]]
[[Category:Footballers from Lagos]]
[[Category:Soccer players from Brooklyn]]
[[Category:American expatriate men's soccer players]]
[[Category:American expatriate sportspeople in Denmark]]
[[Category:American expatriate soccer players]]
[[Category:American expatriate sportspeople in Turkey]]
[[Category:American expatriate sportspeople in Belize]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Belize]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Denmark]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey]]
[[Category:Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Belize]]
[[Category:Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Denmark]]
[[Category:Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey]]
[[Category:Nigerian expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:21st-century Nigerian sportsmen]]