It was the perfect moment for Rodolfo Aloko.
In the 90+4 minute against Orlando City on October 31, Tyger Smalls sent a cross right to Aloko in the box and it couldn’t have gone to a better person.
Aloko and Assistant Coach Gary Dicker work on volleys after every training session. The way that Smalls’ cross was floating towards Aloko, he’d need to volley it. The Beninese winger stopped his momentum completely, moved his right foot back ever so slightly and then swung through the ball right into the back of the goal.
Aloko’s strike was so powerful when it hit the back netting that the frame of the goal rose off the ground for a moment. Aloko rose off the ground himself seconds later, doing a backflip following the goal that put a stamp on Charlotte FC's 4-0 win on Halloween.
The goal was Aloko’s fourth goal contribution (2G+2A) in the last six matches, signifying the 19-year-old’s now prominent part in Charlotte FC’s attack.
“The first thing I want to do is just to contribute for my team,” Aloko said. “I want to help my teammates and give something every time, like my power or my vivacity. Something I can give to win is something I can do every game. I just need to continue like that.”
Aloko put his left hand on his heart and pointed up to the sky following the backflip, a celebration he said is to celebrate his faith and to honor his mother who died five years ago, as well as his family and those who love him.
Honoring his family had been Aloko’s goal since he left Benin to begin his dream of playing professional soccer after playing in domestic leagues. He joined Croatian club NK Kustošija in February 2025 and began his journey away from home.
“Sometimes when I was young, I said, ‘If I want to do better, I just need to keep working,’” Aloko said. “Keep working every time. I saw on video people say, 'If you want to grow up, you need to work hard,’ and that mentality is big. From when I was young, you have to have a big energy when you feel like your family needs your help. You need to do more.”
Aloko was now having his first solo experience in a place he had never been before after 18 years living in Benin surrounded by familiarity. However, he used the move to Croatia and looked at the positives, treating it as a chance to grow up and live for himself.
The hard work that he put in to make the move to NK Kustošija needed to be replicated so that he could continue to grow as a player and as a person. Most of all, so Aloko could continue to make his family proud and help them.
Aloko’s hard work began paying off. In 15 matches with NK Kustošija, he recorded 11 goal contributions (4G+7A) and began making a name for himself. Soon enough, teams in Europe knew Aloko’s name.
Within three months of coming to Croatia, NK Kustošija began receiving calls from European clubs to sign Aloko.
“I think that's a moment that showed me where I came from in Benin,” Aloko said. I had to be smart. I took that moment and said, ‘Can I learn from it?’ Then I learned a lot of things from that moment that gave me more power now. More power to be where I am today because if I passed on that situation, I would say I'm too good. I'm not too good. I used that moment to grow up.”
Ultimately, Aloko stayed in Croatia and continued to accomplish more. He made his senior debut for the Benin national team in an international friendly against Morocco, where he came off the bench.
Then in August, opportunity came knocking again — this time it was Charlotte FC and Zoran Krneta.
Krneta and The Crown officially secured Aloko’s talents in September, lending him to NK Kustošija and allowing him to stay in Croatia until preseason began for MLS clubs in January.
Before Aloko came to Charlotte, his success on the club level was helping him achieve a bigger role in Benin’s success internationally.
At the beginning of September, Aloko appeared in two World Cup qualification matches for his country. Then in December he played a crucial role in Benin’s fifth-ever appearance in the African Cup of Nations. Aloko appeared in all four matches in the competition before they lost to Egypt in the Round of 16, Benin’s second-best finish ever.
“Every player wants to be there for his nation, for the country to give something,” Aloko said. “For me, I grew up in Benin and I just want to make sure to give something good. To give some power, some big energy. They need to know that we have one player who is from Benin who did everything for us. I’m looking to give something to help my country.”
When the winger arrived in Charlotte for preseason, he began to make an impression on Head Coach Dean Smith and the coaching staff. Aloko started the season with Crown Legacy FC to get some minutes in for the Club and to showcase his talents.
He made an immediate impact with Crown Legacy, scoring a goal in each of his first four matches and helping Legacy to win its first five matches. By April 3, Aloko led Crown Legacy with six goals and added two assists to his ledger.
A week later, Charlotte FC signed him to a first-team contract.
“He started the season with us during preseason and then went and played games for Legacy,” Smith said. “If anybody had seen those Legacy games, you'd have said he was too good for that level and he needed to be with us and he started to knit that consistency together.”
He made his first team and MLS debut on April 11, coming on in the 83rd minute against Nashville. Four days later, he made his first start for Charlotte FC and recorded two assists in the Round of 32 of the U.S. Open Cup against Charlotte Independence.
Aloko kept working and improving, starting his first MLS match against New York City FC on April 18 and making 12 appearances for The Crown. However, despite making contributions field, his first MLS goal contribution was alluding him.
Four months after his first goal contribution for Charlotte FC, on August 15 against the Columbus Crew, Aloko found himself back in the stat sheet. Two minutes after coming into the match, Aloko received the ball in the box and tapped a pass to Pep Biel for a goal and his first MLS assist.
The next achievement on the list for Aloko — his first goal with Charlotte FC.
Luckily for him, he didn’t have to wait long. Four days after Aloko’s first MLS assist against Columbus, he scored his first goal against Toronto FC.
Aloko received a pass from Ashley Westwood and took a shot from just inside the box, firing it into the net. He hesitated and looked at Biel as if he was wondering what to do now.
A second later, Aloko was in the air completing a backflip before swinging his arm in triumph after finally finding the back of the net.
“I think it was a big emotional moment I’d say,” Aloko said. “My first goal in professional soccer and I was so happy to contribute for my team. It was so nice and I loved it and I enjoyed it.”
Aloko made appearances in all six of Charlotte FC’s matches following the goal against Toronto, earning the trust of Smith.
Aloko had also earned the trust of Benin with his play for The Crown, being called up by the nation to play in qualification matches for the African Cup of Nations and help them qualify for the second consecutive competition.
Aloko started in both of Benin’s matches, helping them come out of the first two qualifying matches on top of their group with four points. He scored both goals in a 2-1 win against Mauritania, including scoring in the first minute of the second half to secure the win.
The highlight of Aloko’s break came at the tail end on October 6, playing against his idol Lionel Messi in the Argentinian’s farewell match from international soccer. While Benin and Aloko lost 3-0, he was named player of the match for Benin and shared the field with one of his favorite players.
“It was an amazing moment to play against Messi,” Aloko said on October 10. “That was a big dream. I want to say thank you to God because that for me, was a big emotion. I didn't expect that, but when they told me that I would play against Messi, I was so excited to see him play. Also, on the field it was so good. I saw one of the best players in the world.”
Aloko brought his good international form with him after the break and showcased what he can bring to Charlotte FC’s attack.
In the first match back against FC Dallas, Aloko was on the bench. As he watched the Dallas defense, he noticed something.
Aloko saw that the defenders weren’t honoring their defensive positions and saw an opportunity to expose the flaw with passes that go behind the high line. When Aloko came on in the 69th minute with The Crown down 2-0, he brought his theory to reality.
A minute after coming off the bench, Charlotte FC scored via an Aloko pass that set up Allan Saint-Maximin to play a ball in front of goal to Idan Toklomati. In the 90+1 minute, Aloko doubled his assist total, playing a one-two sequence with Biel that allowed the Spaniard to make a first-touch pass to Toklomati to give The Crown a 3-2 lead.
Aloko’s energy on the right wing that he brought after being subbed on helped complete the comeback for The Crown and helped him find new form for the Club. Following the match against Dallas, Aloko has scored two goals in five appearances and, along with Liel Abada, has made the right wing position a strong suit for Charlotte FC.
“I’m having a lot of confidence right now,” Aloko said. “I think I had a lot of confidence and now I’m with (Charlotte FC) and everything is good. I think it was a perfect moment to play (with Benin during the international break) and then come back with a big confidence to help my teammates here. It was really, really good and I really enjoyed it.”
While the Beninese winger has found a new level, Smith said that Aloko was disappointed in his performance against CF Montréal on October 28 when he came off after 65 minutes.
The Gaffer’s response was that of someone who has been a manager for more than 15 years – an honest but sympathetic response for the 19-year-old.
“Young players, it's about building confidence,” Smith said. “Mistakes will happen, it's what you do next. I keep reminding him that and that's his job to do what he does next.”
Despite the ups and downs, Aloko has shown he has the ability to learn and can bounce back from challenges. His reaction to setbacks has been a testament to his professionalism, even as one of the youngest players on Charlotte FC.
At the core of this maturity is his drive to make his family proud and ensure their happiness. Their encouragement and smiles fuel his determination to push through obstacles and keep striving for more on the pitch.
“I think they are so proud of me because whenever I call them, sometimes they're smiling and me too, I'm so happy,” Aloko said. “I just want every time to make sure they are happy. Every time they call me and they talk about anything, I'm just there to help them, to see them smiling because when they are happy, I will be happy here.”
Staying grounded in his gratitude, Aloko hasn’t lost sight of the journey that brought him to this moment. The support from his family back home and the compassion he’s found in Charlotte have played a vital role in his growth.
As Aloko continues to grow as a player and as a person with The Crown, he remains committed to honoring those who believe in him — both in Benin and in Charlotte.
“I love to say, ‘Thank you God,’ because this is a big opportunity,” Aloko said. “Everyone here, they smile, they give me advice and I'm enjoying all the people here. They are kind and I'm so happy to be here to help my teammates to make something that's more important than me. I just need to keep going to continue to learn from everyone.”
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