Elijah Adekugbe

Elijah Adekugbe (born 26 April 1996) is a professional footballer who plays for Cavalry FC as a midfielder.

Elijah Adekugbe
Personal information
Full name Elijah Adekugbe
Date of birth (1996-04-26) 26 April 1996
Place of birth London, England
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Cavalry FC
Number 8
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– Cavalry FC 28 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of September 15, 2020

Club career

Early career

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]

Calgary Foothills

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]

Cavalry FC

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.[11]

Personal life

Born in London, Adekugbe grew up in Manchester before emigrating to Canada with his family in 2004.[1] His older brother Sam is also a footballer and plays for Vålerenga and the Canadian national team.[12]

Honours

Club

Calgary Foothills

Calvary FC

Individual

  • PDL All-Western Conference Team: 2018

References
  1. "Elijah Adekugbe". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  2. Daniel Austin (29 June 2016). "Foothills FC's Elijah Adekugbe named to top prospects list". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  3. "2015 - Elijah Adekugbe". Foot Soldiers Supporters Group.
  4. "Elijah Adekugbe 2016". USL League Two. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  5. Marty Thompson (22 December 2018). "How an Achilles injury changed Cavalry FC midfielder Elijah Adekugbe as a player and a leader". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  6. "Elijah Adekugbe 2018". USL League Two. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  7. Colton Coreschi (1 August 2018). "2018 PDL All-Western Conference Team". USL League Two. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  8. John Molinaro (12 December 2018). "CPL's Cavalry FC signs ex-Whitecap goalkeeper Carducci". Sportsnet. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  9. "Elijah Adekugbe". Soccerway. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  10. "Elijah Adekugbe and Joel Waterman return for 2020". Cavalry FC. 19 December 2019.
  11. "Cavalry FC secure the core for the 2021 Canadian Premier League Season". Cavalry FC. 6 November 2020.
  12. "Samuel Adekugbe". Canada Soccer. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
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