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. Born in The Gambia, he also holds Italian citizenship.

Kalifa Kujabi
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)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2021 Muravera 24 (2)
2021–2022 Torres 30 (3)
2023– Frosinone 2 (0)
2023– → Torres (loan) 0 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 May 2023

Club career

Kujabi left his native The Gambia as a child to flee his country, eventually setting foot in Italy in 2017 and joining a Palermo-based amateur team, Calcio Sicilia,[2] where he was noted by a scout representing Eccellenza Sardinia club Muravera, who eventually signed him.[2]

After winning promotion to Serie D with Muravera and playing two seasons in the Italian amateur top flight, in 2021 he moved to fellow fourth-tier club Torres, being an indisputed regular throughout the 2021–22 club campaign.[3] He was subsequently spotted by a number of professional clubs, including Empoli, Cagliari and Torino, before Frosinone eventually agreed on a deal with him.[4][5]

His signing was however formally confirmed only on 30 March 2023, after he earned Italian citizenship through marriage, due to Italian transfer constraints regarding non-EU players and a long delay caused by bureaucratic issues, including an employee mistakenly spelling his first name on his citizenship request.[1]

On 20 August 2023, Kujabi officially returned to Torres, joining the Serie C club on loan for the rest of the season.[6]

Personal life

In 2021, Kujabi married an Italian woman from Villaputzu, Sardinia, with whom he has a daughter.[4] In March 2023, he officially became an Italian citizen through marriage.[2]

References
  1. "Dalla Libia al Frosinone Calcio: il gambiano Kujabi giocherà con la squadra laziale" (in Italian). RAI News. 30 March 2023.
  2. "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.
  3. "Torres, il futuro di Kujabi è in serie B a Frosinone ma da cittadino italiano" (in Italian). Diario Sportivo. 28 June 2022.
  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.
  5. "Kalifa Kujabi, dalla grande stagione con la Torres alla firma col Frosinone" (in Italian). Gianluca Di Marzio.com. 27 June 2022.
  6. 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.
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