Kalifa Kujabi

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. He will join Liga I club Cluj on 1 July 2024. Born in The Gambia, he also holds Italian citizenship.

Kalifa Kujabi
Kujabi with Frosinone in 2023
Personal information
Date of birth (2000-05-03) 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)
2023–2024 Frosinone 2 (0)
2023 → Torres (loan) 20 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 25 May 2024

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 Cluj on a free transfer on 1 July.[8][9]

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]

References
  1. "Dalla Libia al Frosinone Calcio: il gambiano Kujabi giocherà con la squadra laziale" (in Italian). RAI News. 30 March 2023.
  2. "BENVENUTO KUJABI". Frosinone Calcio (in Italian). 30 March 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  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. "Kalifa Kujabi, dalla grande stagione con la Torres alla firma col Frosinone" (in Italian). Gianluca Di Marzio.com. 27 June 2022.
  6. "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. 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.
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