Caniggia Elva
Saint Lucian footballer (born 1996)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Caniggia Ginola Elva (born 14 July 1996) is a Saint Lucian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Canadian Premier League club Cavalry FC and the Saint Lucia national team.
|
Elva with VfB Stuttgart II in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Caniggia Ginola Elva | ||
| Date of birth | 14 July 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Cavalry FC | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2014 | Calgary South West United | ||
| 2014 | VfB Stuttgart | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2018 | VfB Stuttgart II | 57 | (7) |
| 2015 | → Strasbourg (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Würzburger Kickers | 17 | (4) |
| 2019–2022 | FC Ingolstadt 04 | 67 | (8) |
| 2023–2024 | Rot-Weiß Erfurt | 34 | (6) |
| 2025– | Cavalry FC | 40 | (8) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017 | Canada U23 | 2 | (1) |
| 2023– | Saint Lucia | 16 | (8) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of September 19, 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 14:27, 17 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Early life
Elva was born in the Caribbean island of St. Lucia in Vieux Fort, before moving to Canada at the age of 11.[1] He began playing youth soccer with Calgary South West United.[1] When he was 17, he received a tryout with English club Arsenal.[1] After Arsenal decided not to sign him, he went on trial with German Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart in November 2013, joining them for a month, before returning and signing with them officially on his 18th birthday.[1]
Club career
Germany
In July 2014, his 18th birthday, he signed a four-year contract with VfB Stuttgart after tryouts with other teams, among them English Premier League football club Arsenal, Spanish club FC Barcelona and Portuguese club SL Benfica.[2][3] However, due to Elva not able gaining Canadian citizenship, he wasn't granted permission to play neither for Stuttgart's reserve team in the 3. Liga nor their youth team in Under 19 Bundesliga.[4] As a result of this he did not gain any match practice as he was not ready for the club's first team.[4]
In February 2015, he was loaned to French third-tier club RC Strasbourg until the end of the season.[5]
For the 2015–16 season Elva joined the squad of VfB Stuttgart II.[6] He made his debut for VfB II on 29 August 2015 against Rot-Weiß Erfurt.[7] Elva scored his first goal for VfB Stuttgart II on 26 February 2016 against Hallescher FC.[8] After making 57 appearances over three seasons with the second team,[9] he was released by Stuttgart in July 2018.
Elva signed with 3. Liga club Würzburger Kickers on 4 September 2018.[10] With the Kickers, he won the 2019 Bavarian Cup.[11] Elva would score 4 goals and add 2 assists during an injury plagued 2018–19 season. After the season, he rejected an offer to extend his contract with the club.[12]
After one year with Würzburger Kickers, Elva signed a two-year contract with fellow 3. Liga side FC Ingolstadt 04.[13]
In January 2023, Elva joined Regionalliga club Rot-Weiß Erfurt.[14]
Canada
In February 2025, Elva signed with Canadian Premier League club Cavalry for the 2025 season.[15] On April 26, 2025, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 loss against Atlético Ottawa.[16]
International career
Youth
Elva is eligible for St. Lucia, where he was born. He has however indicated that he would like to represent Canada at international level instead, where he was raised.[17] In March 2017 it was announced that Elva was added to the Canadian Under-23 squad for matches against Qatar and Uzbekistan in Qatar later that month.[18] Elva made his U-23 debut and scored against Uzbekistan in a 1–0 victory on 25 March 2017.[19]
Senior
Elva was called up to the Canadian senior team for a friendly against El Salvador on 29 September 2017.[20] In June 2021 Elva was included in Canada's 60-man preliminary roster for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[21]
In October 2023, Elva was called up to the Saint Lucia national team for a set of 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League matches.[22] He scored on his debut, a 2–1 win over Guadeloupe on 12 October 2023.[23]
Personal life
His father, Titus "Titi" Elva, is a former national striker for St. Lucia and his uncle, Olivier Elva, is also a former national defender for St. Lucia.[24][25] His first and middle names Caniggia and Ginola are homages to former Argentine international player Claudio Caniggia and former French player David Ginola.[1]
Career statistics
Club
- As of September 19, 2026[26]
| Club | League | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| VfB Stuttgart II | 3. Liga | 2015–16 | 21 | 1 | – | – | – | 21 | 1 | |||
| Regionalliga | 2016–17 | 18 | 3 | – | – | – | 18 | 3 | ||||
| 2017–18 | 18 | 3 | – | – | – | 18 | 3 | |||||
| Total | 57 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 7 | ||
| Würzburger Kickers | 3. Liga | 2018–19 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 17 | 4 | ||
| FC Ingolstadt 04 | 3. Liga | 2019–20 | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | – | 2[a] | 0 | 36 | 3 | |
| 2020–21 | 34 | 5 | 1 | 0 | – | 2[a] | 0 | 37 | 5 | |||
| 2. Bundesliga | 2021–22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 67 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 73 | 8 | ||
| Rot-Weiß Erfurt | Regionalliga | 2022–23 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | 24 | 6 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 24 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 34 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 6 | ||
| Cavalry FC | Canadian Premier League | 2025 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 5 |
| 2026 | 22 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 4 | ||
| Total | 40 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 50 | 9 | ||
| Career total | 215 | 33 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 231 | 34 | ||
- Appearance(s) in Promotion Playoffs
International
- As of match played 15 November 2025[27]
| Saint Lucia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals | |
| 2023 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 8 | 4 | |
| 2025 | 4 | 3 | |
| Total | 16 | 8 | |
- Scores and results list Saint Lucia'a goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Elva goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 October 2023 | Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia |  Guadeloupe | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League B |
| 2 | 6 June 2024 | Wildey Turf, Wildey, Barbados |  Haiti | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 6 September 2024 | Kirani James Athletic Stadium, St. George's, Grenada |  Curaçao | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League B |
| 4 | 11 October 2024 | Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia |  Saint Martin | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League B |
| 5 | 2–1 | |||||
| 6 | 10 June 2025 | Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia |  Barbados | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | 2–1 | |||||
| 8 | 15 November 2025 | Estadio Cibao, Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2025–26 CONCACAF Series |