Former FCB Nyasa Big Bullets striker Babatunde Adepoju has opened up about his turbulent 2019 season at Mighty Wanderers, claiming internal politics robbed him of the TNM Super League golden boot award.
The Nigerian-born forward made a high-profile move from Masters Security to Wanderers ahead of the 2019 season, signing a lucrative two-and-a-half-year deal worth MK7 million as a signing-on fee, with a monthly salary of around MK600,000. The club desperately needed a replacement for the late Essau Kanyenda, and Babatunde seemed like the perfect fit.
Adepoju hit the ground running, netting an impressive 13 goals in 15 first-round matches. With Wanderers sitting seven points clear at the top of the table ahead of FCB Nyasa Big Bullets, both the golden boot and league title seemed within reach.
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“First round, we were okay. I was getting support from the team,” Adepoju recalled during an interview on Wa Ganyu Exclusive. “Even others started saying it was very easy for me to get the golden boot. They said, ’13 goals first round? No one can come and beat you.'”
But the second half of the season told a dramatically different story. Adepoju managed just two more goals, finishing with 15 for the campaign. Khuda Muyaba of Silver Strikers overtook him with 21 goals to claim the golden boot, while Bullets leapfrogged Wanderers to win the league with 70 points—leaving the Nomads just one point behind.
Contract Controversy and Teammate Tensions
Adepoju believes the root of his struggles lay in jealousy over his contract, which became public knowledge within the squad.
“Those things came out and the pressure started mounting. My contract came out, everybody knew how much I was getting,” he explained. “Some of the players were not happy. Looking at the quality of the player, I was a low-standard player. I had just played one season in elite football, never played for a big team. The game bonuses that I was getting were different from other players.”
The striker admitted feeling uncomfortable about the disparity but said he couldn’t turn down the offer. “We were playing the same games, but the contract which I had was something I could not reject. They wanted me badly.”
As supporters and club officials embraced him, Adepoju felt his teammates’ support evaporate. “It was something that was very political,” he said. “I am very sure that if I was getting the support in the second round, Wanderers would have won the league easily because we were on top.”
After the season ended, Adepoju’s troubles deepened when a move to Silver Strikers—who had lost Muyaba to South Africa’s Polokwane City—collapsed spectacularly.
“I had a contract with Silver, signed by the chairman of the team, me and my manager. I was even told the date to come for unveiling, but on the said date, I was texted not to come. It was the message which woke me up,” Adepoju revealed.
The agreed MK8 million transfer fee reportedly bounced when Silver sent a cheque to Wanderers. Caught in limbo, the young striker received no wages from either club.
“Silver refused to pay me. Wanderers were like, ‘We sold you.’ The issue was there at the Football Association of Malawi, and we were only waiting. Until now, the determination has not been delivered,” he said. “Being a young player, I was mentally affected. Everything was very hard for me, very, very bad.
Adepoju eventually moved to Bullets, where he found the success that had eluded him at Wanderers. After scoring over 20 goals across the second half of 2021 and the full 2022 season, he finally claimed the TNM Super League golden boot in 2022 with 18 goals. He also collected golden boot awards in the 2021 Airtel Top 8 Cup and 2022 FDH Bank Cup.
Following a stint with South Africa’s Venda Academy in 2023, Adepoju returned to Bullets on loan for 2024 and 2025. He won his second league golden boot in 2025 with 15 goals and is expected to add another FDH Bank Cup golden boot after scoring four goals in the competition.
For Adepoju, the accolades at Bullets serve as vindication—proof that with proper support, he could deliver on the promise he showed in that remarkable first half of the 2019 season.
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