Elijah Adekugbe (born 26 April 1996) is an English professional footballer who most recently played for Cavalry FC as a midfielder.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Elijah Adekugbe | ||
| Date of birth | (1996-04-26) 26 April 1996 (age 26) | ||
| Place of birth | London, England | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2004 | Manchester City | ||
| 2004–2011 | Calgary Foothills | ||
| 2011–2014 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2016 | Trinity Western Spartans | 39 | (9) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2018 | Calgary Foothills | 38 | (6) |
| 2019–2022 | Cavalry FC | 48 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of November 8, 2022 | |||
Growing up in Manchester, England, Adekugbe started playing football with the academy of English Premier League side Manchester City in 2000.[1] In 2004, he and his family moved to Calgary, Canada where he joined the academy programme of local club Calgary Foothills FC.[1] In 2011, he joined the academy of Major League Soccer side Vancouver Whitecaps FC.[1]
In 2015, Adekugbe joined his former youth club Calgary Foothills in their inaugural season in the Premier Development League while attending Trinity Western University.[2] He would be named Supporters MVP for the 2015 season.[3] In 2016, Adekugbe made twelve appearances for Calgary, scoring two goals.[2][4]
During a preseason match in April 2017, Adekugbe snapped his Achilles tendon, ruling him out for the rest of the year.[5] In 2018, he made his return, making fourteen league appearances and another four in the playoffs as Calgary won the PDL Championship.[5][6] Adekugbe was subsequently named to the 2018 PDL All-Western Conference Team.[7]
On 12 December 2018, Adekugbe signed with Canadian Premier League side Cavalry FC, joining former Foothills coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. and several of his former Foothills teammates.[8] On 4 May 2019, he made his professional debut in the club's inaugural match against York 9 FC.[9] In December 2019, Cavalry announced Adekugbe would return to the club for the 2020 season.[10] In November 2020, Adekugbe would re-sign with the club for the 2021 season, his third season with the club, however he would miss the entire 2021 season after tearing his achilles tendon during training in April 2021.[11][12] In January 2022, it was announced Adekugbe would return for the 2022 season, his fourth with the club.[13] Cavalry would announce that Adekubge would leave the club upon completion of the 2022 season.[14]
Born in London, Adekugbe grew up in Manchester before emigrating to Canada with his family in 2004 at the age of eight.[1] His older brother Sam is also a footballer and plays for Hatayspor and the Canadian national team.[15]
Calgary Foothills
Calvary FC
Individual
Cavalry FC – current squad | |
|---|---|