Kalifa Kujabi (born 5 March 2000) is a Gambian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga I club Hermannstadt.
 Kujabi with Frosinone in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 5 March 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Abuko, The Gambia[1] | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Central midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Hermannstadt | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2019 | Calcio Sicilia | ||
| 2019–2021 | Muravera | 33 | (3) |
| 2021–2022 | Torres | 30 | (3) |
| 2023–2024 | Frosinone | 2 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | → Torres (loan) | 18 | (0) |
| 2024 | CFR Cluj | 0 | (0) |
| 2024– | Hermannstadt | 6 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 9 December 2024 | |||
Club career
editBorn in Abuko, The Gambia,[2] Kujabi left his native country as a child, eventually arriving in Italy in 2017, when he subsequently joined a Palermo-based amateur team, Calcio Sicilia;[3] he was then noted by a scout representing Eccellenza Sardinia club Muravera, who eventually signed him.[2][3]
After winning promotion to Serie D with Muravera and playing two seasons in the Italian amateur top flight, in 2021 Kujabi joined fellow fourth-tier club Torres, where he served as a regular starter throughout the 2021–22 campaign.[2][4] Following his performances, he reportedly gained the attention of several professional clubs, including Empoli, Cagliari and Torino.[5][6]
In June 2022, Kujabi joined Serie B club Frosinone on a permanent deal;[5][6] however, his signing was formally confirmed on 30 March 2023,[2] due to transfer constraints regarding the Italian federation's rules on non-EU players, as well as various bureaucratic issues, including an employee mistakenly spelling his first name while registering his request for Italian citizenship.[1][6]
On 20 August 2023, Kujabi officially returned to Torres, joining the Serie C club on loan for the rest of the season.[7] He was released by Frosinone at the end of the 2023–24 season, after the club had turned down the option to extend his contract.[8]
On 26 June 2024, it was announced that Kujabi would join Romanian side CFR Cluj on a free transfer on 1 July.[8][9] However, he could not be registered by the club, due to the league's rules on non-EU players;[10] as a result, on 5 August, he joined fellow Romanian club Hermannstadt on a three-year contract.[10][11]
Personal life
editIn 2021, Kujabi married an Italian woman from Villaputzu, Sardinia, with whom he has a daughter.[6] In March 2023, he officially became an Italian citizen through marriage.[2][3]
Honours
editMuravera
- Eccellenza Sardinia: 2018–19
Torres
- Coppa Italia Serie D runner-up: 2021–22
Frosinone
References
edit- ^ a b c "Dalla Libia al Frosinone Calcio: il gambiano Kujabi giocherà con la squadra laziale" (in Italian). RAI News. 30 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "BENVENUTO KUJABI". Frosinone Calcio (in Italian). 30 March 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
- ^ a b c "Migranti, la favola di Kalifa Kujabi, arrivato dal Gambia su un barcone, a un passo dalla serie A con il Frosinone" (in Italian). Corriere della Sera - Roma. 3 April 2023.
- ^ "Torres, il futuro di Kujabi è in serie B a Frosinone ma da cittadino italiano" (in Italian). Diario Sportivo. 28 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Kalifa Kujabi, dalla grande stagione con la Torres alla firma col Frosinone" (in Italian). Gianluca Di Marzio.com. 27 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d "The tale of Kujabi: from the barge to the Muravera, the Torres and now it's officially from Frosinone". L'Unione Sarda. 30 March 2023.
- ^ Serreli, Antonio (20 August 2023). "Serie C, il gambiano del Sarrabus Kujabi dal Frosinone alla Torres". L'Unione Sarda (in Italian). Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ a b Bovicelli, Marco (26 June 2024). "Dal Frosinone al Cluj: Kalifa Kujabi riparte dalla serie A rumena". Gianluca Di Marzio (in Italian). Retrieved 26 June 2024.
- ^ "BUN VENIT, KALIFA KUJABI!". cfr1907.ro (in Romanian). CFR Cluj. 26 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
- ^ a b Botezatu, Aurelian (5 August 2024). "Hermannstadt a transferat de la CFR Cluj! A semnat mijlocașul „made in Italia"". Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ "Nuova avventura per Kujabi: il gambiano approda all'Hermannstadt". Centotrentuno (in Italian). 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
External links
edit- Kalifa Kujabi at Soccerway
- Kalifa Kujabi at TuttoCalciatori.net (in Italian)