Elijah Adekugbe

Elijah Adekugbe (born 17 July 1996) is a professional footballer who plays for Cavalry FC as a midfielder.

Club career

Early career

Growing up in Manchester, England, Adekugbe started playing football with the academy of English Premier League side Manchester City in 2000. In 2004, he and his family moved to Calgary, Canada where he joined the academy programme of local club Calgary Foothills FC. In 2011, he joined the academy of Major League Soccer side Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Calgary Foothills

In 2015, Adekugbe joined his former youth club Calgary Foothills in their inaugural season in the Premier Development League while attending Trinity Western University. He would be named Supporters MVP for the 2015 season. In 2016, Adekugbe made twelve appearances for Calgary, scoring two goals.

During a preseason match in April 2017, Adekugbe snapped his Achilles tendon, ruling him out for the rest of the year. In 2018, he made his return, making fourteen league appearances and another four in the playoffs as Calgary won the PDL Championship. Adekugbe was subsequently named to the 2018 PDL All-Western Conference Team.

Cavalry FC

On 12 December 2018, Adekugbe signed with Canadian Premier League side Cavalry FC, joining former Foothills coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. and several of his former Foothills teammates. On 4 May 2019, he made his professional debut in the club's inaugural match against York 9 FC. In December 2019, Cavalry announced Adekugbe would return to the club for the 2020 season.

Personal life

Born in London, Adekugbe grew up in Manchester before emigrating to Canada with his family in 2004. His older brother Sam is also a footballer and plays for Vålerenga and the Canadian national team.

Honours

Calgary Foothills

• PDL Championship: 2018

Individual

• PDL All-Western Conference Team: 2018