Kalifa Kujabi
From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
![]() 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 | CFR Cluj | ||
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) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 July 2024 |
Kalifa Kujabi (born 5 March 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga I club CFR Cluj. Born in The Gambia, he also holds Italian citizenship.
Club career[edit]
Born 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]
Personal life[edit]
In 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[edit]
Muravera
- 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.
External links[edit]
- Kalifa Kujabi at Soccerway
- Kalifa Kujabi at TuttoCalciatori.net (in Italian)