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Caleb Ekuban

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Caleb Ekuban
Ekuban playing for Genoa in 2023
Personal information
Full name Caleb Ansah Ekuban[1]
Date of birth (1994-03-23) 23 March 1994 (age 30)
Place of birth Villafranca di Verona, Italy
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Genoa
Number 18
Youth career
2004–2010 Mantova 1911
2010–2012 Chievo
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2017 Chievo 0 (0)
2013–2014 → Südtirol (loan) 7 (1)
2014–2015 → Lumezzane (loan) 48 (7)
2015–2016 → Renate (loan) 31 (4)
2016–2017 → Partizani (loan) 34 (17)
2017–2019 Leeds United 20 (1)
2018–2019 → Trabzonspor (loan) 29 (5)
2019–2021 Trabzonspor 54 (15)
2021– Genoa 73 (7)
International career‡
2019– Ghana 13 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 June 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 December 2022 (UTC)

Caleb Ansah Ekuban (born 23 March 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Genoa. Born in Italy, Ekuban represents the Ghana national team.

Ekuban is a striker known for his pace, technical ability and strong physique. His style of play and prolific goal scoring as a youngster in the Chievo youth team saw him likened to compatriot Mario Balotelli[3][4]

Early life

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Caleb Ekuban was born in Villafranca di Verona, Italy,[5] to Ghanaian parents, Rev. Kobina and Sabina Ekuban. Caleb's father is the district elder of the Pentecostal Assembly of Churches in Italy as well as an accountant and business entrepreneur.

Ekuban was one of seven children growing up in Italy. At the age of 10 his father was transferred to Mantova for ministerial duties and registered Ekuban along with two of his brothers with the Mantova youth team. Ekuban stood out and went on to be signed up by Chievo. He is fluent in Italian and is also able to speak Fanti, the major local dialect in the Central Region of Ghana.[6]

One of his brothers Joseph is now a professional footballer as well, playing in Italy.[7]

Club career

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Chievo Verona

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After progressing through the youth system at Chievo, Ekuban was called up for the first time to the senior squad by the coach Eugenio Corini on 26 January 2013 for the Serie A match against Lazio, he remained an unused substitute as Chievo won 1–0 at Stadio Olimpico.[8] Ekuban never appeared professionally for Chievo and was loaned out to four clubs over a four-year period and despite being contracted to the club until 2018, he was transferred to Leeds in July 2017.[9]

Loan at Südtirol

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In July 2013, Ekuban was sent on loan at Südtirol to gain more playing experience.[10] In August he was the subject of racial abuse in a Coppa Italia first round match against Matera with the perpetrator later receiving a 10 match suspension.[11] He made his professional debut on 1 September by playing in the last 31 minutes of the 1–1 home draw against Reggiana.[12] He scored his first goal later on 13 October, giving his side a point in the match against Venezia.[13] However, his spell at the club was short-lived, and after making only seven league appearances, which only two of them as a starter, Ekuban left the club in January 2014.[14]

Loan at Lumezzane

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In January 2014, Ekuban was loaned to fellow Lega Pro side Lumezzane for one and a half seasons. During his spell there, he played 48 league matches, scoring seven goals.

Loan at Renate

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On 6 August 2015, Ekuban was loaned to Renate until the end of 2015–16 season.[15] He played his first match for Renate on 6 September in a 1–0 away defeat to Mantova, playing the full 90 minutes.[16] Ekuban scored his first goal of the season in his second league appearance for the new team on 13 September in the 1–1 home draw against Giana Erminio.[17] He finished the 2015–16 season by playing 31 league matches, 24 of them as a starter, scoring 4 goals as Renate finished Group A in 11th position.

Loan at Partizani

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On 4 July 2016, Ekuban completed a season long loan move to Kategoria Superiore side Partizani for the 2016–17 season and was given the number 45.[18] Six days later, was named in Partizani's final 23-man UEFA Champions League squad.[19] He made his competitive debut on 13 July in the first leg of Champions League second qualifying round against Ferencváros, playing in the last 23 minutes of the 1–1 draw at Elbasan Arena.[20] In the returning leg one week later, Ekuban played again as a substitute, and after the regular and extra time had finished in a 1–1 draw, the game was decided on penalty shootout where Ekuban successfully converted his penalty shootout attempt, helping Partizani to win 3–1.[21]

Ekuban played full-90 minutes in both legs of Champions League third qualifying round against Red Bull Salzburg, who eliminated Partizani with the aggregate 3–0.[22] Then, Partizani moved to Europa League play-off round where they faced Krasnodar, losing 4–0 on aggregate; Ekuban played full-90 minutes in both legs, and finished his European campaign with six appearances.[23]

Ekuban made his domestic debut on 7 September in the opening league match against Luftëtari, finished in a 1–0 away win.[24] He opened his scoring account later on 18 September in the matchday 3 against Teuta, scoring the second goal of the 2–0 away win.[25]

He made his Albanian Cup debut on 7 October in the returning leg of the first round against Kevitan, scoring the fourth goal of the 4–0 win, helping the team to secure the progression to the next round with the aggregate 9–1.[26] On 13 October, in Sulejman Starova's first match in charge, Ekuban scored both goals in a 2–0 away win at Laçi, returning Partizani in the winning ways after two matches.[27] Ekuban finished the 16/17 season as second top scorer in the Kategoria Superiore finishing the season with 17 league goals to his name (with 18 in all competitions). With his goals helping Partizani to a second-place finish in the league and UEFA Europa League qualification.[28]

Leeds United

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On 11 July 2017, Leeds United announced the signing of Ekuban on a four-year contract from Serie A side Chievo Verona for an undisclosed fee.[29] On 13 July, Ekuban laughably revealed he was hoping to score goals like former Leeds legend and countryman Tony Yeboah.[30] On 9 August 2017, he made his first-team debut in the League Cup tie 4–1 victory against Port Vale, with Ekuban scoring on his debut after an assist from Ezgjan Alioski, he also provided an assist for Samuel Saiz's hat trick goal in the same game.[31]

On 19 August, Ekuban made his League debut against Sunderland replacing regular striker Chris Wood who pulled himself out the squad due to interest from a Premier League side.[32] Ekuban however picked up an injury breaking a bone in his foot and had to be substituted in the second half.[33]

He returned from injury against Middlesbrough on 19 November 2017, however Ekuban broke his foot again on 10 December in Leeds' 1–3 victory against QPR.[34] Ekuban returned to the match day squad on 10 February against Sheffield United.[35] On 30 March 2018, Ekuban scored his first league goal for Leeds against Bolton Wanderers.[36]

With speculation that he was not in Marcelo Bielsa's plans, on 26 July 2018, Ekuban was not given a shirt number for Leeds for the upcoming 2018–19 season for Leeds.[37]

Loan at Trabzonspor

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On 29 August 2018, Ekuban joined Turkish Süper Lig side Trabzonspor on a season long loan.[38] Ekuban made his debut coming on for Hugo Rodallega against Galatasaray in the 86th minute on 1 September 2018, scoring on his debut in a 4–0 victory. This goal held significance for some Leeds United fans due to a rivalry with the Turkish side Galatasaray.[39] Ekuban was praised after scoring an emotional goal for Trabzonspor in a 2–0 win against Kayserispor after playing after the passing of his mother, the goal sparked an emotional celebration with his team-mates as he burst into tears.[40]

On 19 December 2018, Ekuban took his tally to 5 goals in all competitions, after scoring a brace in a 5–0 win over Sivas Belediyespor in the Turkish Cup.[41] He scored his 6th goal of the season against İstanbul Başakşehir on 20 January 2019 in a 4–2 defeat.

Trabzonspor

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On 1 July 2019, Trabzonspor made the loan deal permanent and signed Caleb Ekuban for three years.

International career

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Ekuban was eligible to play for both Ghana and Italy at international level.[42] On 12 July 2017, Ekuban revealed it is his intention to represent Ghana.[43]

On 20 April 2018, Ekuban met with Ghana national team head coach Akwasi Appiah. In March 2019, Ekuban was called up to represent Ghana for 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification.[44] He scored his first competitive goal for the Black Stars of Ghana on his debut against the Harambee Stars of Kenya in an AFCON Qualifier on 23 March 2019 at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 5 May 2024[45][46][47]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Chievo Verona 2012–13 Serie A 0 0 0 0 — — — 0 0
Südtirol (loan) 2013–14 Lega Pro 7 1 2 1 — — — 9 2
Lumezzane (loan) 2013–14 Lega Pro 13 2 0 0 — — — 13 2
2014–15 35 5 2 0 — — — 37 5
Total 48 7 2 0 — — — 50 7
Renate (loan) 2015–16 Lega Pro 31 4 2 0 — — — 33 4
Partizani (loan) 2016–17 Kategoria Superiore 34 17 2 1 — 6[a] 0 — 42 18
Leeds United 2017–18 Championship 20 1 0 0 1 1 — — 21 2
Trabzonspor 2018–19 Süper Lig 29 5 7 3 – — — 36 8
2019–20 Süper Lig 22 5 7 1 – 5[b] 4 — 34 10
2020–21 Süper Lig 32 10 0 0 – — 1[c] 1 33 11
Total 83 20 14 4 – 5 4 1 1 103 29
Genoa 2021–22 Serie A 30 1 3 1 — — — 33 2
2022–23 Serie B 14 2 1 0 — — — 15 2
2023–24 Serie A 26 4 1 0 — — — 28 4
Total 71 7 5 1 — — — 76 8
Career total 284 56 27 7 1 1 11 4 1 1 334 69
  1. ^ Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
  2. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ Appearance in Turkish Super Cup

International

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As of match played 11 November 2021[48]
National team Year Apps Goals
Ghana 2019 6 2
2020 4 1
2021 3 0
Total 13 3
Scores and results list Ghana's goal tally first.[48]
List of international goals scored by Caleb Ekuban
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 23 March 2019 Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana  Kenya 1–0 1–0 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2. 26 March 2019  Mauritania 2–1 3–1 Friendly
3. 12 October 2020 Mardan Sports Complex, Aksu, Turkey  Qatar 5–1 5–1

Honours

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Trabzonspor

References

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  1. ^ "CALEB ANSAH EKUBAN VERLÄSST DEN FCS". FC Südtirol.
  2. ^ "Caleb Ekuban". sport.de.
  3. ^ "Ghana starlet Ekuban bidding his time to shine at Chievo". GhanaSoccernet.
  4. ^ "Ecco Ekuban, il Balotelli del Lumezzane: "Sogno di tornare al Chievo. Quei paragoni con Mario e il consiglio di Corini..."". gianlucadimarzio.com. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  5. ^ "Caleb Ansah Ekuban" (in Italian). Südtirol. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  6. ^ http://www.theafricaninternationalherald.com/index.php/quick-guide/item/658-caleb-ekuban-the-ghanaian-italian-rising-star-with-impressive-scoring-run-like-mario-balotelli[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ "Caleb Ebukan's brother Joseph Ekuban joins Serbian giants Partizan Belgrade". Football Ghana. 4 July 2019.
  8. ^ "Lazio vs. Chievo 0 – 1". Soccerway. 26 January 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  9. ^ "Google Translate". translate.google.co.uk. 8 February 2017.
  10. ^ "NUOVO INNESTO IN ATTACO: ARRIVA L'ITALO-GHANESE CALEB EKUBAN" (in Italian). Südtirol. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  11. ^ "Italian Footballer Suspended 10 Matches For Racially Abusing Opponent". HuffPost UK. 7 August 2013.
  12. ^ "Südtirol vs. Reggiana 1 – 1". Soccerway. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  13. ^ "Venezia vs. Südtirol 1 – 1". Soccerway. 13 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  14. ^ "CALEB ANSAH EKUBAN LASCIA L'FC SUDTIROL" (in Italian). Südtirol. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  15. ^ "Ufficiale: Yamga al Siena, Ekuban al Renate" (in Italian). ChievoVerona.it. 6 August 2015. Archived from the original on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  16. ^ "Mantova vs. Renate 1–0". Soccerway. 6 September 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  17. ^ "Renate vs. Giana Erminio 1 – 1". Soccerway. 13 September 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  18. ^ Rinald Bregasi (4 July 2016). "Partizani afron Kaleb Ansah Ekuban" (in Albanian). Super Sport Albania. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  19. ^ "Lista e Partizanit në Champions" (in Albanian). Gazeta Tribuna. 10 July 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  20. ^ "Partizani barazon me Ferencvarosh, Fili shënon super-gol" (in Albanian). Newsport.al. 13 July 2016. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  21. ^ "Ferencvárosi vs. Partizani Tirana". Soccerway. 20 July 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  22. ^ Andi Deçka (3 August 2016). "Dorëzohet Partizani, humbet 2–0 me Salzburg" (in Albanian). Super Sport Albania. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  23. ^ "Partizani nuk mposhtet në Elbasan nga Krasnodar, por eliminohet" (in Albanian). Top Channel. 25 August 2016. Archived from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  24. ^ "Luftëtari Gjirokastër vs. Partizani Tirana 0 – 1". Soccerway. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  25. ^ Adi Metaliu (18 September 2016). "Partizani cinik, mposht 2–0 Teutën" (in Albanian). Super Sport Albania. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  26. ^ "FK PARTIZANI 4 – 0 FC KEVITAN" (in Albanian). Partizani.al. 7 October 2016. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  27. ^ "Zhbllokohet Ekuban, rikthehet Mazrekaj, fiton Partizani" (in Albanian). Telesport.al. 13 October 2016. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  28. ^ uefa.com. "Member associations - Albania - League". UEFA.com.
  29. ^ "WHITES SNAP UP FORWARD". Leeds United. 11 July 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  30. ^ "CALEB EKUBAN: THIS IS A VERY BIG STEP". Leeds United. 13 July 2017. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  31. ^ "Leeds United 4–1 Port Vale". BBC Sport. 9 August 2017.
  32. ^ "Sunderland vs Leeds". Sky Sports. 19 August 2017.
  33. ^ "Leeds United team news: Vurnon Anita cleared but doubts remain on attacking duo". YEP. 24 August 2017.
  34. ^ "QPR 1 Leeds United 3: Roofe as first-choice, Ekuban's injury and Wiedwald in goal – Talking Points". YEP. 10 December 2017.
  35. ^ "Sheffield United Vs Leeds". BBC Sport. 10 February 2018.
  36. ^ "Leeds Vs Bolton". BBC Sport. 30 March 2018.
  37. ^ "2018/19 SQUAD NUMBERS ANNOUNCED". Leeds United. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  38. ^ "Caleb Ekuban: Leeds forward moves to Trabzonspor on season-long loan". BBC Sport. 29 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  39. ^ "Ghanaian forward Caleb Ekuban enjoys dream debut as Trabzonspor annihilate Galatasaray". Ghana Soccer. 2 September 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  40. ^ "Leeds United loan watch: Caleb Ekuban bags emotional goal, Whites loanees in FA Cup action". YEP. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  41. ^ "Trabzonspor 5 Sivas Belediyespor 0". Google. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  42. ^ "CALEB EKUBAN FACT FILE". Leeds United. 11 July 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  43. ^ "Italian-born Ghanaian striker Caleb Ekuban wants to play for Ghana". GhanaSoccernet.
  44. ^ Owen, Danny (11 March 2019). "Leeds United loanee Caleb Ekuban gets first ever Ghana call-up". Here Is The City.
  45. ^ Caleb Ekuban at Soccerway. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  46. ^ "Football : Caleb Ekuban". Football Database. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  47. ^ "EKUBAN CALEB ANSAH" (in Italian). TuttoCalciatori.net. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  48. ^ a b "Caleb Ekuban". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  49. ^ "Süper Kupa Trabzonspor'un! (ÖZET) Başakşehir - Trabzonspor maç sonucu: 1-2" (in Turkish). Fanatik. 27 January 2021. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
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