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

currently playing as a midfielder for Singapore Premier League club

Balestier Khalsa Balestier Khalsa Football Club is a Singaporean professional football club that competes in the Singapore Premier League. Founded in 1898, the club is considered as the oldest football club in the country. History Tracing their origins all th ...

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

left midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

and left winger in his career, making him a versatile player.

Club career

Youth

Elijah studied at the Singapore Sports School 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 FC (松本山雅, ''Matsumoto Yamaga Efu Shī'') is the Japanese football (soccer) club based in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture. The club currently play in the J3 League after relegation from J2 League at the end of the ...

where he trained with the academies players.

Tampines Rovers

On 3 January 2018, Elijah signed his first professional contract with Singapore Premier League club, Tampines Rovers from Singapore Sports School.

Balestier Khalsa

Elijah signed with

at the start of the

2020 Singapore Premier League The 2020 Singapore Premier League (also known as the AIA Singapore Premier League due to sponsorship reasons) was the 3rd season of the Singapore Premier League, the top-flight Singaporean professional league for association football clubs, since ...

season but only made 5 appearances before having his contract mutually terminated due to COVID-19.

Geylang International

Elijah signed with Geylang International ahead of the

2021 Singapore Premier League The 2021 Singapore Premier League (also known as the 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 clubs, since ...

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.

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) is the 5th season of the Singapore Premier League, the top-flight Singaporean professional league for association football clubs, since ...

season where he also underwent his compulsory National Service. 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 (His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Brunei Football Club in English, commonly known as DPMM FC) is a professional football club based in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. The club played in the Brunei Pr ...

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 football club that competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top division of football in Singapore. The club took part in S.League from 1996 to 2004, and from 2011 to 2014. The club withd ...

, 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 in the

2023 Merlion Cup The Merlion Cup was an invitational association football, football tournament that was held in Singapore annually from 1982–1986, in 1992, 2009 and 2019. Participants included full national sides, Olympic sides, Invitational XI's and club team ...

. Elijah was then selected for the 25-man preliminary squad for the upcoming

2023 SEA Games , Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN, UNGEGN: ''Keila Rôs Knŏng Sântĕphéap'') , nations = 11 , athletes = 6,210 , events = 580 in 36 sports , opening = 5 May 2023 , closing = 17 May 2023 , opened_by = Hun Sen , ...

later in the year.

Career statistics

Club

Notes

International statistics

U23 International caps

Honours

Tampines Rovers * Singapore Cup:

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

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 Balestier Khalsa FC players Tampines Rovers FC players