Samuel Ayomide Adekugbe (born January 16, 1995) is a professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who plays as a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

for

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

club

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The MLS ite ...

. Born in England, he represents the Canada national team.

Club career

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

On August 28, 2013, Adekugbe signed a

Generation Adidas Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U.S ...

homegrown contract with

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United ...

club

, making him the seventh homegrown signing in club history. 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 The Colorado Rapids are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in ...

Loan to Brighton & Hove Albion

During Winter 2015, Adekugbe was invited to train at English

EFL Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, it is the highest divi ...

club

Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as Brighton, is a professional football club based in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home gr ...

. On July 15, 2016, Adekugbe transferred to Brighton on a season-long loan deal agreement, initially linking up with the club's development squad. On August 9, 2016, Adekugbe started in the 4–0 victory over

Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its ea ...

in the 2016–17 EFL Cup. On August 23, 2016, Adekugbe scored his first professional goal in a 4–2 victory over

Oxford United Oxford United Football Club () is a professional association football, football club based in Oxford, England. The club compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football. Founded as Headingto ...

in the second round of the 2016–17 EFL Cup. On January 14, 2017, Adekugbe started his first Championship game in a 2–0 defeat against Preston North End.

Loan to IFK Göteborg

Adekugbe joined

Allsvenskan Allsvenskan (; ), also known as Fotbollsallsvenskan (, ) is a professional association football league in Sweden and the highest level of the Swedish football league system. Founded in 1924, it operates on a system of promotion and relegatio ...

club

IFK Göteborg Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna Göteborg (officially IFK Göteborg Fotboll), commonly known as IFK Göteborg, IFK (especially locally) or Blåvitt, is a Swedish professional Football team, football club based in Gothenburg. Founded in 1904, it ...

on loan on July 25, 2017, for the remainder of the season, with an option to buy for the club. He made his debut against

IFK Norrköping Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna Norrköping, more commonly known as IFK Norrköping or simply Norrköping, is a Swedish professional association football, football club based in Norrköping. The club is affiliated to Östergötlands Fotbollför ...

in a 4–1 win on July 30.

Vålerenga

On January 8, 2018,

Eliteserien Eliteserien () is a professional association football league in Norway and the highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Norwegian First Division ...

club

Vålerenga Vålerenga () is a neighbourhood in the city of Oslo, Norway, belonging to the borough of Gamle Oslo. Vålerenga is located between the neighbourhoods of Gamlebyen, Jordal, Ensjø, Etterstad and Lodalen. Vålerenga is in particular known for i ...

announced they had signed Adekugbe to a four-year deal. He made his debut against

Kristiansund Kristiansund (, ; historically spelled Christianssund and earlier named Fosna) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality on the western coast of Norway in the Nordmøre district of Møre og Romsdal counties of Norway, county. The admin ...

on March 12, 2018 In 3.5 seasons with the Oslo club, Adekugbe would play 94 games.

Hatayspor

On June 18, 2021, it was announced Adekugbe had signed a three-year deal with Turkish

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), also known as Trendyol Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Turkey and the highest level of the Turkish football league system. In the 2023–2024 season, twen ...

side

Hatayspor Hatayspor Kulübü, known as Atakaş Hatayspor due to sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional football club located in Antakya, Hatay Province. Hatayspor, founded in 1967 through a merger of three local clubs, aimed to promote sports and po ...

, effective August 1, 2021. He made his debut on August 14 against Kasımpaşa.

Loan to Galatasaray

On 17 February 2023, he signed a loan contract with

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Galatasaray and familiarly as Cimbom, is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul including basketball, wheelchair ...

until the end of the 2022–23 season. Adekugbe became the champion in the

in the 2022–23 season with the

team. Defeating Ankaragücü 4-1 away in the match played in the 36th week on 30 May 2023, Galatasaray secured the lead with 2 weeks before the end and won the 23rd championship in its history.

Return to Vancouver

On August 3, 2023, Adekugbe re-joined his former club

on a deal until the end of the 2026 season.

International career

Adekugbe was eligible to represent

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

internationally. In 2012, he was quoted saying he dreamed of playing for England at

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...

. However, he has represented Canada at youth and senior level.

Youth

Adekugbe was part of Canada's U-18 squad for the 2013 COTIF U-20 tournament from August 11 to 21. After a successful 2014 campaign with Vancouver, Adekugbe was called up to the

U20 U20 or U-20 may refer to: Naval vessels * * , a sloop of the Royal Navy * , a submarine of the Austro-Hungarian Navy Other uses * Great truncated cuboctahedron * Meizu U20, a smartphone * Roland U-20, a synthesizer * Small nucleolar RNA S ...

squad by coach Rob Gale on November 7, 2014. He made his debut for the side against

on November 12 in a 1–1 draw. In January 2015 he would participate with Canada in the

2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship The 2015 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship was an association football tournament that took place from 9 to 24 January 2015 in Jamaica. It determined the four CONCACAF teams that would participate at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. Q ...

Senior

Adekugbe received his first call up to the Canada senior team for two friendlies against

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

in September 2013, though he did not feature in either match. He made his debut two years later in a against

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

on September 8, 2015. In June 2017 Adekugbe was named to Canada's squad for that year's

CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup () is an association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for men's senior national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The tournament is held every two ...

. On November 16, 2021, during Canada's 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Mexico at Edmonton's

Commonwealth Stadium Commonwealth Stadium is an open-air, multi-purpose stadium located in the McCauley, Edmonton, McCauley neighbourhood of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It has a seating capacity of 56,302, making it the largest open-air stadium in Canada. Primarily ...

, Adekugbe celebrated

Cyle Larin Cyle Christopher Larin (; born April 17, 1995) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a striker or a left winger for La Liga club Mallorca and the Canada national team. After playing college soccer for the UConn Huskies, Larin ...

's 52nd-minute goal by diving backward into a pitchside snow bank. The celebration subsequently went viral. He scored his first goal for Canada in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier against the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

on January 30, 2022. In November 2022, Adekugbe was named to the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

team for Canada. In Canada's third match against

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

, he caused an own-goal, sending in a cross that deflected off Moroccan defender Nayef Aguerd into the back of the net. In June 2023, Adekugbe was called-up to the Canadian squad contesting the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals. On June 19, he was named to the 23-man squad for the

2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 17th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's association football, soccer championship of the North, Central American and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF. Canada and the United ...

, before withdrawing the day before Canada's first match.

Personal life

Adekugbe was born in London to parents with Nigerian heritage and lived in England until 10, when his family moved to

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

in Western Canada. His younger brother

Elijah Elijah ( ) or Elias was a prophet and miracle worker who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Ahab (9th century BC), according to the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah defended the worsh ...

is also a professional soccer player. He is a fan of

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

. 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. He became a Canadian citizen in 2016. Adekugbe is a part-owner of

Northern Super League The Northern Super League (NSL; ) is a Canada soccer league system#Women, top-division professional women's association football, women's soccer league in Canada. The league is owned and operated by Project 8 Sports, Inc., and includes six team ...

club Calgary Wild.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Adekugbe goal.''

Honours

Galatasaray *

: 2022–23 Vancouver Whitecaps FC *

Canadian Championship The Canadian Championship () is an annual soccer tournament contested by Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. It is contested by Major League Soccer sides Toronto FC, Va ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

References

External links

*
Whitecaps FC bio
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adekugbe, Sam 1995 births Living people Canadian men's soccer players Canadian expatriate men's soccer players Canada men's youth international soccer players Canada men's international soccer players English men's footballers Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 players Vancouver Whitecaps FC players Whitecaps FC 2 players Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players IFK Göteborg players Vålerenga Fotball players Hatayspor footballers Galatasaray S.K. footballers Footballers from London Soccer players from Calgary USL League Two players Major League Soccer players USL Championship players Norwegian Second Division players English Football League players English expatriates in Canada Canadian sportspeople of Nigerian descent English people of Nigerian descent Sportspeople of Nigerian descent British emigrants to Canada 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2022 FIFA World Cup players Men's association football defenders Canadian expatriate sportspeople in England English expatriate sportspeople in Canada Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada English expatriate men's footballers Allsvenskan players Eliteserien players Homegrown Players (MLS) Calgary Foothills FC players Expatriate men's footballers in Sweden Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Sweden Expatriate men's footballers in Norway Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Norway Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Black British sportsmen 21st-century Black British people 21st-century Canadian sportsmen 21st-century English sportsmen