Kalifa Kujabi
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 3 May 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 |
Torres (on loan from Frosinone) | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2021 | Muravera | 24 | (2) |
| 2021–2022 | Torres | 30 | (3) |
| 2023– | Frosinone | 2 | (0) |
| 2023– | → Torres (loan) | 18 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 May 2024 | |||
Kalifa Kujabi (born 3 May 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie C Group B club Torres, on loan from Frosinone. Born in The Gambia, he also holds Italian citizenship.
Club career[edit]
Kujabi left his native The Gambia as a child to flee his country, eventually setting foot in Italy in 2017 and joining a Palermo-based amateur team, Calcio Sicilia,[2] where he was noted by a scout representing Eccellenza Sardinia club Muravera, who eventually signed him.[2]
After winning promotion to Serie D with Muravera and playing two seasons in the Italian amateur top flight, in 2021 he moved to fellow fourth-tier club Torres, being an indisputed regular throughout the 2021–22 club campaign.[3] He was subsequently spotted by a number of professional clubs, including Empoli, Cagliari and Torino before Frosinone eventually agreed on a deal with him.[4][5]
His signing was however formally confirmed only on 30 March 2023, after he earned Italian citizenship through marriage, due to Italian transfer constraints regarding non-EU players and a long delay caused by bureaucratic issues, including an employee mistakenly spelling his first name on his citizenship request.[1]
On 20 August 2023, Kujabi officially returned to Torres, joining the Serie C club on loan for the rest of the season.[6]
Personal life[edit]
In 2021, Kujabi married an Italian woman from Villaputzu, Sardinia, with whom he has a daughter.[4] In March 2023, he officially became an Italian citizen through marriage.[2]
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 "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 "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.
- ^ "Kalifa Kujabi, dalla grande stagione con la Torres alla firma col Frosinone" (in Italian). Gianluca Di Marzio.com. 27 June 2022.
- ^ 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.
External links[edit]
- Kalifa Kujabi at Soccerway
- Kalifa Kujabi at TuttoCalciatori.net (in Italian)