Samuel Ayomide Adekugbe (born January 16, 1995) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a left-back for Süper Lig club Hatayspor and the Canada national team.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Samuel Ayomide Adekugbe[1] | ||
Date of birth | (1995-01-16) January 16, 1995 (age 27) | ||
Place of birth | London, England | ||
Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2] | ||
Position(s) | Left-back | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Hatayspor | ||
Number | 23 | ||
Youth career | |||
1998–2000 | Manchester United Grassroots Program | ||
2000–2004 | AFC Clayton | ||
2004–2011 | Calgary Foothills | ||
2011–2013 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2013 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 | 3 | (0) |
2015–2016 | Whitecaps FC 2 | 6 | (0) |
2013–2017 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 16 | (0) |
2016–2017 | → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 1 | (0) |
2017 | → IFK Göteborg (loan) | 9 | (0) |
2018 | Vålerenga 2 | 1 | (0) |
2018–2021 | Vålerenga | 89 | (0) |
2021– | Hatayspor | 46 | (0) |
National team‡ | |||
2013 | Canada U18 | 1 | (0) |
2014–2015 | Canada U20 | 6 | (0) |
2015– | Canada | 33 | (1) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of November 12, 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of September 27, 2022 |
On August 28, 2013, Adekugbe signed a Generation Adidas homegrown contract with MLS club Vancouver Whitecaps FC, making him the seventh homegrown signing in club history.[3] He made his professional debut on October 27 in the final game of the 2013 season which ended in a 3–0 victory over Colorado Rapids.[4]
During Winter 2015, Adekugbe was invited to train at English Football League Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion.[5] On July 15, 2016, Adekugbe transferred to Brighton on a season-long loan deal agreement, initially linking up with the club's development squad.[6] On August 9, 2016, Adekugbe started in the 4–0 victory over Colchester United in the 2016–17 EFL Cup.[7] On August 23, 2016, Adekugbe scored his first professional goal in a 4–2 victory over Oxford United in the second round of the 2016–17 EFL Cup.[8]
On January 14, 2017, Adekugbe started his first Championship game in a 2–0 defeat against Preston North End.[9]
Adekugbe joined Allsvenskan club IFK Göteborg on loan on July 25, 2017, for the remainder of the season, with an option to buy for the club.[10] He made his debut against IFK Norrköping in a 4–1 win on July 30.
On January 8, 2018, Eliteserien club Vålerenga announced they had signed Adekugbe to a four-year deal.[11] He made his debut against Kristiansund on March 12, 2018[12] In 3.5 seasons with the Oslo club, Adekugbe would play 94 games.[13]
On June 18, 2021, it was announced Adekugbe had signed a three-year deal with Turkish Süper Lig side Hatayspor, effective August 1, 2021.[14] He made his debut on August 14 against Kasımpaşa.[15]
Adekugbe was eligible to represent England, Nigeria or Canada internationally. In 2012, he was quoted saying he dreamed of playing for England at Wembley.[16] However, he has represented Canada at youth and senior level.
Adekugbe was part of Canada's U-18 squad for the 2013 COTIF U-20 tournament from August 11 to 21.[3] After a successful 2014 campaign with Vancouver, Adekugbe was called up to the U20 squad by coach Rob Gale on November 7, 2014.[17] He made his debut for the side against England on November 12 in a 1–1 draw. In January 2015 he would participate with Canada in the 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship.[18]
Adekugbe received his first call up to the Canada senior team for two friendlies against Mauritania in September 2013, though he did not feature in either match. [19] He made his debut two years later in a against Belize on September 8, 2015.[20] In June 2017 Adekugbe was named to Canada's squad for that year's CONCACAF Gold Cup.[21]
On November 16, 2021, during Canada's 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Mexico at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium, Adekugbe celebrated Cyle Larin's 52nd-minute goal by diving backwards into a pitchside snow bank. The celebration subsequently went viral.[22] He scored his first goal for Canada in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier against the United States on January 30, 2022.[23]
Adekugbe was born in London to parents with Nigerian heritage and lived in England until 10, when his family moved to Canada.[24] His younger brother Elijah is also a professional soccer player with Cavalry FC. He is a fan of Manchester City.[16]
Adekugbe received his Canadian permanent residency status on August 23, 2013, which qualifies him as a domestic player on Canadian clubs for MLS roster purposes.[25] He became a Canadian citizen in 2016.[26]
Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 | 2013 | PDL | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||
Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 2013 | MLS | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | |||
2014 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||||
2015 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 4[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |||
2016 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | ||||
Total | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | ||
Whitecaps FC 2 | 2015 | USL | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 2 | 0 | ||||
2016 | 4 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||||
Total | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 2016–17 | Championship | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 5 | 1 | ||
IFK Göteborg (loan) | 2017 | Allsvenskan | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 10 | 0 | |||
Vålerenga 2 | 2018 | Norwegian Second Division | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||||
Vålerenga | 2018 | Eliteserien | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 29 | 0 | |||
2019 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 25 | 0 | |||||
2020 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 26 | 0 | |||||
2021 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | – | 14 | 0 | ||||
Total | 89 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 94 | 0 | ||
Hatayspor | 2021–22 | Süper Lig | 34 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | 37 | 0 | |||
2022–23 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 13 | 0 | |||||
Total | 46 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 0 | ||
Career total | 171 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 193 | 1 |
Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|
2015 | 2 | 0 |
2016 | 1 | 0 |
2017 | 3 | 0 |
2018 | 1 | 0 |
2019 | 2 | 0 |
2020 | 2 | 0 |
2021 | 13 | 0 |
2022 | 9 | 1 |
Total | 33 | 1 |
No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | January 30, 2022 | Tim Hortons Field, Hamilton, Canada | 26 | ![]() | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Hatayspor – current squad | |
---|---|
|
Canada squad – 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup | ||
---|---|---|
![]() |