Elijah Adekugbe (born 26 April 1996) is a professional
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
player who currently 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 ...
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 12 (U12s category); it is organized every year since 2000 on the initiative of Groupe Danone.Vancouver Whitecaps Academy. Two years later, he returned to the Calgary Foothills at U16 level.
University career
Adekugbe received a soccer scholarship with Trinity Western University, playing for the men's soccer team from 2014 to 2016. He scored his first goal on September 6, 2014 against the Victoria Vikes. On October 3, 2015, he scored a late second half free kick to salvage a 1-1 draw against the UBC Okanagan Heat. 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 ba ...
. After the 2016 season, he was named a Canada West First Team All-Star.
Club career
Calgary Foothills
In 2015, Adekugbe began playing his former youth club
Calgary Foothills FC
Calgary Foothills Football Club (CFFC) is a Canadian soccer club based in Calgary, Alberta, that competes in USL League Two (USL2). The club was founded as a youth club in 1972 and joined as a USL2 franchise in 2015. The team plays its home gam ...
in the
Premier Development League
USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental association football, soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United Stat ...
. 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.
Cavalry FC
In December 2018, Adekugbe signed a professional contract with Cavalry FC of the Canadian Premier League, 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. He scored his first professional goal on October 5, 2019 in a 2-0 win over the
HFX Wanderers
HFX Wanderers Football Club, commonly known as HFX Wanderers, and spoken as Halifax Wanderers, is a Canadian professional soccer club in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League at the top of the Canadian soccer le ...
. 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 in a 2-1 victory. After the 2022 season, he departed the club.
York United
In December 2022, Adekugbe joined
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 ...
Sam Adekugbe
Samuel Ayomide Adekugbe (born January 16, 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Süper Lig club Galatasaray and the Canada national team. Born in England, he obtained Canadian citizenship in 2016.
Club career Vancouver ...
. 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.
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
Individual
*PDL All-Western Conference Team:
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...