| Saliu Popoola | |
| Fullname: | Saliu Popoola Sodiq |
| Birth Date: | 7 August 1994 |
| Birth Place: | Lagos, Nigeria |
| Height: | 1.57 m[1] |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Youthclubs1: | 36 Lions |
| Clubs1: | Metz |
| Years1: | 2012–2016 |
| Caps1: | 0 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2014–2016 |
| Clubs2: | → Seraing (loan) |
| Caps2: | 51 |
| Goals2: | 4 |
| Years3: | 2017–2020 |
| Clubs3: | Ittihad Khemisset |
| Caps3: | 29 |
| Goals3: | 1 |
| Years4: | 2020– |
| Clubs4: | Wydad Fès |
| Caps4: | 5 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2016 |
| Nationalteam1: | Nigeria U23 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 5 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Pcupdate: | 20:59, 1 August 2021 (UTC) |
Saliu Popoola (born 7 August 1994) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Moroccan club Wydad Fès. He is also a Nigerian international.[2]
Measuring only 1.57 m, he was considered, in 2015, to be the third smallest professional player in the world.[3] With the Nigeria U23 team, he won the bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Popoola joined FC Metz in August 2012, after a successful trial with the team. He would play for the reserves in the CFA. The following season, he made two appearances in the Coupe de France, but none in Ligue 2 where the Metz first team played.[4]
In lack of playing time, he was sent on a two-season loan to Belgian club Seraing for two seasons, until June 2016. With a height of only 1.57 m, he was then the smallest professional player playing in Belgium.[5] With Seraing, he made 51 appearances in the Belgian second division, scoring 4 goals. Most notably, he scored a brace against Heist on 29 November 2015, which proved to be the key to the 5–2 win.[6]
In September 2016, having still not made a league appearance for the Metz first-team, he terminated his contract with the club by mutual consent.[7]
Nigeria U23