Kalifa Kujabi

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Kalifa Kujabi
Frosinone Calcio - Benito Stirpe - vs Genoa 14 5 2023 - Kujabi entrata ANT 4157.jpg
Kujabi with Frosinone in 2023
Personal information
Date of birth (2000-03-05) 5 March 2000 (age 24)
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*
YearsTeamApps(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

Kalifa Kujabi (born 5 March 2000) is a Gambian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga I club Hermannstadt.

Contents

Club career

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] 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

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

Muravera

Torres

Frosinone

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Dalla Libia al Frosinone Calcio: il gambiano Kujabi giocherà con la squadra laziale" (in Italian). RAI News. 30 March 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "BENVENUTO KUJABI". Frosinone Calcio (in Italian). 30 March 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "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.
  4. ↑ "Torres, il futuro di Kujabi è in serie B a Frosinone ma da cittadino italiano" (in Italian). Diario Sportivo. 28 June 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Kalifa Kujabi, dalla grande stagione con la Torres alla firma col Frosinone" (in Italian). Gianluca Di Marzio.com. 27 June 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "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.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. 1 2 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.
  9. ↑ "BUN VENIT, KALIFA KUJABI!". cfr1907.ro (in Romanian). CFR Cluj. 26 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  10. 1 2 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.
  11. ↑ "Nuova avventura per Kujabi: il gambiano approda all'Hermannstadt". Centotrentuno (in Italian). 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
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