![]() David with Union SG in 2024 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Promise Oluwatobi Emmanuel David Akinpelu [1] | ||
Date of birth | July 3, 2001 | ||
Place of birth | Brampton, Ontario, Canada | ||
Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | ||
Position(s) | Striker | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Union SG | ||
Number | 12 | ||
Youth career | |||
2012–2016 | Toronto FC | ||
2016–2019 | Vaughan Azzurri | ||
2019–2021 | Trnje | ||
2021–2022 | FC Tulsa | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2022 | Valletta | 9 | (2) |
2022–2023 | Sirens | 7 | (0) |
2023 | Nõmme Kalju U21 | 19 | (22) |
2023–2024 | Nõmme Kalju | 39 | (21) |
2024– | Union SG | 35 | (19) |
International career‡ | |||
2022 | Nigeria U23 | 2 | (0) |
2025– | Canada | 4 | (2) |
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:58, July 25, 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of June 29, 2025 |
Promise Oluwatobi Emmanuel David Akinpelu (born July 3, 2001), known as Promise David, is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a striker for Belgian Pro League club Union SG and the Canada national team. [2]
David began playing football with the youth academy of Toronto FC Academy, before moving to his local club Vaughan Azzurri in 2016. [3] In 2019, he was scouted by the Croatian club Trnje and joined their youth academy. On September 18, 2021, he signed an academy contract with the American club FC Tulsa. [4]
In January 2022, David joined the Maltese club Valletta on a short-term contract. [5] He scored the goal that got Valletta to the 2021–22 Maltese FA Trophy final, where they finished runners-up. [1] On June 20, 2022, he transferred to Sirens, also in Malta. [6]
On February 13, 2023, David moved to Estonia with Nõmme Kalju. [7] He initially played for the club's reserve team in the Estonian third tier before establishing himself in the first team and scoring seven goals in his inaugural Premium Liiga season. [8] David credited Kalju's training demands and plyometric exercises as crucial elements in his turnaround. [9] [10] In the following 2024 league season with Kalju, he scored 14 goals and provided three assists in 16 matches. [11]
In July 2024, David signed with Union SG of the Belgian Pro League, on a three-year contract with an option of a further year. [12] He debuted with them as a substitute during the 2024 Belgian Super Cup on July 20, where the club would be eventual 2–1 victors over Club Brugge. [13] David scored his first goal for his new club on August 10 in a 4–3 away defeat against Westerlo. [14] He concluded the 2024–25 season with 19 goals, including a brace in a 3–1 victory over Gent on the final matchday of the champions' play-offs, securing his club's first league title in 90 years. [15] [16]
On 17 June 2025, David signed a new contract with Union Saint-Gilloise, extending his stay with the club until 2029. [17] [18]
David was born in Canada to Nigerian parents. [19] In October 2022, he was called up to the Nigeria U23s for a set of 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches against the Tanzania U23s. [20] He debuted with the Nigeria U23s, a 1–1 tie in the first leg with Tanzania U23 on October 22, 2022. [21]
In January 2025, after inquiries from the Nigerian Football Federation, David stated that he was focused on playing for his country of birth, Canada, at senior level. [22]
On February 21, 2025, David's request to switch allegiance to Canada was approved by FIFA. [23] On March 12, 2025, he received his first senior call-up to the Canada national team for the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League Finals. [24] He made his international debut on June 7, 2025, also scoring his first goal for Canada in a 4–2 friendly victory against Ukraine during the 2025 Canadian Shield. [25]
Club | Season | League | National cup [a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Valletta | 2021–22 | Maltese Premier League | 9 | 2 | 5 | 4 | — | — | 14 | 6 | ||
Sirens | 2022–23 | Maltese Premier League | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
Nõmme Kalju U21 | 2023 [27] | Esiliiga B | 19 | 22 | — | — | — | 19 | 22 | |||
Nõmme Kalju | 2023 | Meistriliiga | 23 | 7 | 3 | 6 | — | — | 26 | 13 | ||
2024 | Meistriliiga | 16 | 14 | 2 | 3 | — | — | 18 | 17 | |||
Total | 39 | 21 | 5 | 9 | — | — | 44 | 30 | ||||
Union SG | 2024–25 | Belgian Pro League | 34 | 19 | 3 | 4 | 3 [b] | 1 | 1 [c] | 0 | 41 | 24 |
2025–26 | Belgian Pro League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 [c] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
Total | 35 | 19 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 24 | ||
Career total | 109 | 66 | 13 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 127 | 82 |
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Canada | 2025 | 4 | 2 |
Total | 4 | 2 |
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | June 7, 2025 | BMO Field, Toronto, Canada | ![]() | 3–0 | 4–2 | 2025 Canadian Shield |
2 | June 17, 2025 | BC Place, Vancouver, Canada | ![]() | 5–0 | 6–0 | 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
Valletta
Union Saint-Gilloise
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)