Elijah Adekugbe (born 26 April 1996) is an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays for

York United York United Football Club (formerly known as York9 FC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League and plays its home games at York University's York Lions Stadium. History ...

in the

Canadian Premier League The Canadian Premier League (CPL or CanPL; ) is a professional Association football, soccer league in Canada and the highest level of the Canadian soccer league system. The league comprises eight teams, from five of provinces and territories of ...

Early life

Adekugbe was born in London, England, and grew up in Manchester. In 2000, Adekugbe joined the Manchester City Academy, where he played until 2004. In 2004, he moved to Calgary, Canada with his family and joined the Calgary Foothills SC. As the U12 level, Adekugbe represented Western Canada at the

Danone Nations Cup The Danone Nations Cup is a football tournament for children between the ages of 10 and 15. It is organized since 2000 on the initiative of Danone.

and also played for the Alberta provincial team from U13 to U15 level. In September 2011, he joined the

Vancouver Whitecaps Academy Whitecaps FC Academy ( sponsor name Whitecaps FC BMO Academy) is the youth system of the professional soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. It fields a men's and women's team in the semi-professional League1 ...

. Two years later, he returned to the Calgary Foothills at U16 level.

University career

Adekugbe received a soccer scholarship with

Trinity Western University Trinity Western University (TWU) is a Private university, private Christian liberal arts university with campuses in both Langley, British Columbia (district municipality), Langley and Richmond, British Columbia, Richmond, British Columbia. The ...

, playing for the men's soccer team from 2014 to 2016. He scored his first goal on September 6, 2014 against the

Victoria Vikes The Victoria Vikes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Victoria of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in both men's and women's U Sports. ''Vikes'' was previously a longstanding nickname for both the men's teams (previously th ...

. On October 3, 2015, he scored a late second half free kick to salvage a 1-1 draw against the

UBC Okanagan Heat The UBC Okanagan Heat are the athletic teams that represent the University of British Columbia Okanagan in Kelowna, British Columbia and currently compete in the Canada West conference of U Sports. The Heat field varsity teams in basketball, cro ...

. On August 27, 2016, he scored two goals against the

UNBC Timberwolves The UNBC Timberwolves are the athletic teams that represent the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George, British Columbia and currently compete in the Canada West conference of U Sports. The Timberwolves field varsity teams in ...

. After the 2016 season, he was named a

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...

First Team All-Star.

Club career

In 2015, Adekugbe began playing his former youth club

Calgary Foothills FC Calgary Foothills Football Club is a Canadian soccer club based in Calgary, Alberta, that competes in League1 Alberta (L1AB). The club was founded as a youth club in 1972 and joined as a USL2 franchise in 2015. The team plays its home games at ...

in the

Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

. In 2015, he was the team's Golden Boot and MVP winner, as well as the Supporters MVP. In 2016, he served as vice-captain of the team. In June 2016, he was named to the PDL Top 50 Prospects list. He missed the entire 2017 season, after suffering an Achilles tendon injury during pre-season. In 2018, he was named to the PDL All-Western Conference Team and won the PDL title with the club. In December 2018, Adekugbe signed a professional contract with

Cavalry FC Cavalry Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in the Calgary metropolitan region of Alberta. The club competes at the top of the Canadian soccer league system in the Canadian Premier League, and plays their home matches ...

of the

, ahead of the 2019 season. He was named vice-captain of the team in his first season. He made his debut in the team's inaugural match on May 4, 2019 against

York9 FC York United Football Club (formerly known as York9 FC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League and plays its home games at York University's York Lions Stadium. Histor ...

. He scored his first professional goal on October 5, 2019 in a 2-0 win over the

HFX Wanderers Halifax Wanderers FC, also written as HFX Wanderers FC, is a Canadian professional soccer club in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League (CPL) at the top of the Canadian soccer league system, and play their home ...

. He helped the club reach the CPL final, but missed both legs of the final due to injury. He was named to the CPL Fan Awards Team of the Year in 2019. After the season, it was announced he would be returning for the 2020 season. In November 2020, he re-signed with the club. In April 2021, during pre-season, he tore his Achilles tendon, requiring him to undergo surgery and to miss the entire 2021 season. On May 21, 2022, he scored a stoppage time winning goal over

Valour FC Valour FC is a Canadian professional soccer club in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which competes in the Canadian Premier League and plays their home matches at Princess Auto Stadium. The team is coached by Phillip Dos Santos and community owned throu ...

in a 2-1 victory. After the 2022 season, he departed the club. In December 2022, Adekugbe joined

for the 2023 season. On July 26, 2024, he scored his first goal for York United in a 4-1 victory over

Atlético Ottawa Atlético Ottawa is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Ottawa, Ontario. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League and plays its home games at TD Place. The team was founded in 2020 by Spanish club Atlético Madrid. History F ...

. In December 2024, he extended his contract for another season, with a club option for 2026.

Personal

He is the brother of Canada national team player

Sam Adekugbe Samuel Ayomide Adekugbe (born January 16, 1995) is a professional soccer player who plays as a left-back for Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Born in England, he represents the Canada national team. Club career Vancouver Whiteca ...

. Adekugbe has also launched a music career, releasing his first EP in 2021, which included a song called "Dream Team" which referenced his club team Cavalry FC and teammates.

Career statistics

Honours

Calgary Foothills * PDL Championship:

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Individual *PDL All-Western Conference Team:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Adekugbe, Elijah 1996 births Living people Men's association football midfielders Canadian men's soccer players English men's footballers Footballers from London Footballers from Manchester Canadian sportspeople of Nigerian descent English people of Nigerian descent Sportspeople of Nigerian descent English emigrants to Canada Naturalized citizens of Canada Trinity Western Spartans men's soccer players Calgary Foothills FC players Cavalry FC players USL League Two players Canadian Premier League players Black British sportsmen York United FC players 21st-century Canadian sportsmen 21st-century English sportsmen