Elijah Lim Teck Yong (born 8 May 2001) is a

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

an 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 ...

currently playing as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for

Singapore Premier League The Singapore Premier League, commonly abbreviated as the SPL, officially known as the AIA Singapore Premier League for sponsorship reasons, is a men's professional football league sanctioned by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), wh ...

club

Balestier Khalsa Balestier Khalsa Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Toa Payoh, Singapore, that competes in the Singapore Premier League. Founded in 1898, the club is considered as the oldest Football in Singapore, foot ...

. Able to play in wide positions, Elijah has appeared as a

central midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

left midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

and

left winger In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

in his career, making him a versatile player.

Club career

Youth

Elijah studied at the

Singapore Sports School Singapore Sports School (SSP) is a specialised Independent school, independent boarding school under the purview of Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth of the Government of Singapore that offers an integrated sports and academic programme to ...

where he play for the school team. In 2016, he was chosen for a week-long training stint with Japanese club,

Matsumoto Yamaga or simply Matsumoto Yamaga (松本山雅FC, ''Matsumoto Yamaga Efu Shī'') is a Japanese football (soccer) club based in the city of Matsumoto, located in the Nagano Prefecture. The club currently plays in the J3 League, Japanese third tier o ...

where he trained with the academies players.

Tampines Rovers

On 3 January 2018, Elijah signed his first professional contract with

club,

Tampines Rovers Tampines Rovers Football Club (currently known as BG Tampines Rovers due to sponsorship reasons) is a professional association football, football club based in Tampines, Singapore, that competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of t ...

from

Balestier Khalsa

Elijah signed with

at the start of the 2020 Singapore Premier League season but only made 5 appearances before having his contract mutually terminated due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

Geylang International

Elijah signed with

Geylang International Geylang International Football Club is a professional football club based in Bedok, Singapore, that competes in Singapore Premier League, the top division of football in Singapore. The club was founded in 1973 and played their first season ...

ahead of the

2021 Singapore Premier League The 2021 Singapore Premier League (also known as the AIA Group, AIA Singapore Premier League due to sponsorship reasons) was the 4th season of the Singapore Premier League, the top-flight Singaporean professional league for association football, ...

season. He had a 37% tackle rate for his team in the Singapore Premier League, the highest in Geylang. He soon left the club in September 2021 to serve

national service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...

Young Lions

Elijah then joined Young Lions ahead of the

2022 Singapore Premier League The 2022 Singapore Premier League (also known as the AIA Singapore Premier League due to sponsorship reasons) was the 5th season of the Singapore Premier League, the top-flight Singaporean professional league for association football clubs, sin ...

season where he also underwent his compulsory

National Service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...

. He scored his first goal for the Young Lions in a 4–4 draw against his former club,

, with the goal also being his first professional goal in his career. Elijah came close to scoring again in a 2–2 draw to

Brunei DPMM Duli Pengiran Muda Mahkota Football Club ( English: His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Brunei Football Club; abbrev: DPMM or Brunei DPMM) is a professional football club based in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. The club set to play ...

during the 2023 season but saw the ball rebound off the crossbar. During the 4–3 defeat to

Tanjong Pagar United Tanjong Pagar United Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Queenstown, Singapore, Queenstown, Singapore. The club currently competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of Singapore football leag ...

, Lim was involved with all 3 goals scored by the Young Lions as he scored two goals from close range and was integral in the build up to the third goal. However his team came short as they lost in dramatic fashion to a late goal. He departed the team following his completion of national service and remained as a free agent until October.

Return to Balestier Khalsa

On 19 October 2023,

announced the return of Elijah to the club which he will don the number 49.

International career

Youth

Elijah made his Singapore U23 debut in a 1–0 lost to

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

in the 2023 Merlion Cup. Elijah was then selected for the 25-man preliminary squad for the upcoming

2023 SEA Games The 2023 Southeast Asian Games (, UNGEGN: ''Kar Brâkuŏt Keila Brâchéachéatĕ Asi Aknéy 2023''), also known as the 32nd Southeast Asian Games, or the 32nd SEA Games, and commonly known as Cambodia 2023, were the 32nd edition of the Southe ...

later in the year.

Career statistics

Club

Notes

International statistics

U23 International caps

Honours

Tampines Rovers *

Singapore Cup The Singapore Cup is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Singaporean football. Established in 1998, it is the foremost prestigious cup competition in the country. It is open to clubs in the Singapore Premier League. Since ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lim, Elijah Living people 2001 births Singaporean men's footballers Singapore men's youth international footballers Singaporean sportspeople of Chinese descent Men's association football midfielders Singapore Premier League players Competitors at the 2023 SEA Games SEA Games competitors for Singapore Geylang International FC players Young Lions FC players 21st-century Singaporean sportsmen Balestier Khalsa FC players Tampines Rovers FC players