Sam Adekugbe
Canadian soccer player (born 1995)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Samuel Ayomide Adekugbe ⓘ(born January 16, 1995) is a professional soccer player who plays as a left-back for Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Born in England, he represents the Canada national team.
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Adekugbe playing for Canada at the 2022 FIFA World Cup | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Samuel Ayomide Adekugbe[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | January 16, 1995 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | London, England | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2][3] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Left-back | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2000 | Manchester United Grassroots Program | ||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2004 | AFC Clayton | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2011 | Calgary Foothills | ||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013–2017 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 16 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013 | → Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | → Whitecaps FC 2 | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017 | → IFK Göteborg (loan) | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2018–2021 | Vålerenga | 89 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2018 | → Vålerenga 2 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Hatayspor | 52 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023 | → Galatasaray (loan) | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 33 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Canada U18 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Canada U20 | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015– | Canada | 44 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of May 28, 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of June 10, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
Early and personal life
Born on January 16, 1995, in London, England, Adekugbe lived in England until the age of 10, when his family decided to move to Calgary, Alberta.[4] He is of Nigerian descent.[5] His younger brother Elijah is also a professional soccer player.
Adekugbe received his Canadian permanent resident card on August 23, 2013, which qualified him as a domestic player on Canadian clubs for MLS roster purposes.[6] He became a Canadian citizen in 2016.[7]
Adekugbe is a fan of Manchester City.[8] He is a part-owner of Northern Super League club Calgary Wild.[9]
Club career
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
On August 28, 2013, Adekugbe signed a Generation Adidas homegrown contract with MLS club Vancouver Whitecaps FC, making him the seventh homegrown signing in club history.[10] He made his professional debut on October 27 in the final game of the 2013 season which ended in a 3–0 victory over Colorado Rapids.[11]
Loan to Brighton & Hove Albion
During Winter 2015, Adekugbe was invited to train at English EFL Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion.[12] On July 15, 2016, Adekugbe transferred to Brighton on a season-long loan deal agreement, initially linking up with the club's development squad.[13] On August 9, 2016, Adekugbe started in the 4–0 victory over Colchester United in the 2016–17 EFL Cup.[14] On August 23, 2016, Adekugbe scored his first professional goal in a 4–2 victory over Oxford United in the second round of the 2016–17 EFL Cup.[15]
On January 14, 2017, Adekugbe started his first Championship game in a 2–0 defeat against Preston North End.[16]
Loan to IFK Göteborg
Adekugbe joined Allsvenskan club IFK Göteborg on loan on July 25, 2017, for the remainder of the season, with an option to buy for the club.[17] He made his debut against IFK Norrköping in a 4–1 win on July 30.
Vålerenga
On January 8, 2018, Eliteserien club Vålerenga announced they had signed Adekugbe to a four-year deal.[18] He made his debut against Kristiansund on March 12, 2018[19] In 3.5 seasons with the Oslo club, Adekugbe would play 94 games.[20]
Hatayspor
On June 18, 2021, it was announced Adekugbe had signed a three-year deal with Turkish Süper Lig side Hatayspor, effective August 1, 2021.[21] He made his debut on August 14 against Kasımpaşa.[22]
Loan to Galatasaray
On 17 February 2023, he signed a loan contract with Galatasaray until the end of the 2022–23 season.[23]
Adekugbe became the champion in the Süper Lig in the 2022–23 season with the Galatasaray team. Defeating Ankaragücü 4-1 away in the match played in the 36th week on 30 May 2023, Galatasaray secured the lead with 2 weeks before the end and won the 23rd championship in its history.[24]
Return to Vancouver
On August 3, 2023, Adekugbe re-joined his former club Vancouver Whitecaps FC on a deal until the end of the 2026 season.[25]
International career
Adekugbe was eligible to represent England, Nigeria or Canada internationally. In 2012, he was quoted saying he dreamed of playing for England at Wembley.[8] However, he has represented Canada at youth and senior level.
Youth
Adekugbe was part of Canada's U-18 squad for the 2013 COTIF U-20 tournament from August 11 to 21.[10] After a successful 2014 campaign with Vancouver, Adekugbe was called up to the U20 squad by coach Rob Gale on November 7, 2014.[26] He made his debut for the side against England on November 12 in a 1–1 draw. In January 2015 he would participate with Canada in the 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship.[27]
Senior
Adekugbe received his first call up to the Canada senior team for two friendlies against Mauritania in September 2013, though he did not feature in either match.[28] He made his debut two years later in a against Belize on September 8, 2015.[29] In June 2017 Adekugbe was named to Canada's squad for that year's CONCACAF Gold Cup.[30]
On November 16, 2021, during Canada's 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Mexico at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium, Adekugbe celebrated Cyle Larin's 52nd-minute goal by diving backward into a pitchside snow bank. The celebration subsequently went viral.[31] He scored his first goal for Canada in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier against the United States on January 30, 2022.[32] In November 2022, Adekugbe was named to the 2022 FIFA World Cup team for Canada.[33] In Canada's third match against Morocco, he caused an own-goal, sending in a cross that deflected off Moroccan defender Nayef Aguerd into the back of the net.[34]
In June 2023, Adekugbe was called-up to the Canadian squad contesting the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals.[35] On June 19, he was named to the 23-man squad for the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup, before withdrawing the day before Canada's first match.[36]
Career statistics
Club
- As of matches played June 1, 2025[37]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 | 2013 | PDL | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | 1[a] | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 2013 | MLS | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2014 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||||
| 2015 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 4[b] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |||
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | ||
| Whitecaps FC 2 | 2015 | USL | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2016 | 4 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 2016–17 | Championship | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 5 | 1 | ||
| IFK Göteborg (loan) | 2017 | Allsvenskan | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 10 | 0 | |||
| Vålerenga 2 | 2018 | Norwegian Second Division | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Vålerenga | 2018 | Eliteserien | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 29 | 0 | |||
| 2019 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 25 | 0 | |||||
| 2020 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 26 | 0 | |||||
| 2021 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2[c] | 0 | – | 14 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 89 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 94 | 0 | ||
| Hatayspor | 2021–22 | Süper Lig | 34 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | 37 | 0 | |||
| 2022–23 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 19 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 52 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 0 | ||
| Galatasaray (loan) | 2022–23 | Süper Lig | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 6 | 0 | |||
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 2023 | MLS | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 2[d] | 1 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 5[e] | 0 | 23 | 1 | |||
| 2025 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | 4[b] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 | |||
| Total | 33 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 47 | 5 | ||
| Career total | 216 | 3 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 252 | 6 | ||
- Appearance in PDL Play-offs
- Appearances in CONCACAF Champions League/Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
- Appearances in MLS Cup playoffs
- One appearance in Leagues Cup, four appearances in MLS Cup playoffs
International
- As of match played June 10, 2025[38]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 2015 | 2 | 0 |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 13 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 44 | 1 | |
- As of January 30, 2022
- Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Adekugbe goal.[38]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 30, 2022 | Tim Hortons Field, Hamilton, Canada | 26 |  United States | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
