James_Igbekeme
James Igbekeme
Nigerian footballer
James Omonigho Igbekeme (born 4 July 1995) is a Nigerian footballer who plays as a left winger for Spanish club Ponferradina.[1]
|
Igbekeme with the Columbus Crew in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Omonigho Igbekeme | ||
| Date of birth | (1995-07-04) 4 July 1995 (age 28) | ||
| Place of birth | Lagos, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ponferradina | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Ribeirão | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2015 | Ribeirão | 43 | (2) |
| 2015–2017 | Oliveirense | 55 | (10) |
| 2017–2018 | Gil Vicente | 32 | (5) |
| 2018–2023 | Zaragoza | 96 | (4) |
| 2022 | → Columbus Crew (loan) | 23 | (0) |
| 2023 | → Wisła Kraków (loan) | 14 | (1) |
| 2023– | Ponferradina | 23 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 5 April 2024 | |||
Born in Lagos, Igbekeme made his senior debut with Campeonato Nacional de Seniores side G.D. Ribeirão in the 2013–14 season. In 2015, he moved to fellow league team U.D. Oliveirense.
In June 2017, Igbekeme signed for LigaPro side Gil Vicente F.C.[2] He made his professional debut on 6 August, starting and scoring the winner in a 2–1 away defeat of FC Porto B.[3]
On 28 October 2017, Igbekeme scored a brace in a 4–0 home routing of S.L. Benfica B.[4] He finished the campaign with five goals in 32 appearances, but his side eventually suffered relegation.
On 12 June 2018, Igbekeme signed a four-year deal with Segunda División side Real Zaragoza.[5] Initially a regular starter, he gradually started to feature more sparingly, mainly due to injuries.
On 26 January 2022, Igbekeme was loaned to Major League Soccer side Columbus Crew until December.[6] On 10 August 2023, after a short loan stint at Wisła Kraków, he terminated his contract with Zaragoza.[7]
- James Igbekeme at Soccerway
- "Gil Vicente começa trabalhos em campo com cinco novidades" [Gil Vicente start working on the field with five novelties] (in Portuguese). Diário de Notícias. 28 June 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
- "Gil Vicente abre a Liga a vencer fora o FC Porto B" [Gil Vicente open the League by beating FC Porto B away] (in Portuguese). Barcelos na Hora. 6 August 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
- "Gil Vicente volta às vitórias ao golear Benfica B" [Gil Vicente back to winning ways after thrashing Benfica B] (in Portuguese). Diário de Notícias. 28 October 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
- "James Igbekeme, nuevo jugador del Real Zaragoza" [James Igbekeme, new player of Real Zaragoza] (in Spanish). Real Zaragoza. 12 June 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
- "Acuerdo con el Columbus Crew para la cesión de James Igbekeme" [Agreement with Columbus Crew for the loan of James Igbekeme] (in Spanish). Real Zaragoza. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
- "Finaliza la relación contractual entre el Real Zaragoza y James Igbekeme" [Ends the contractual relationship between Real Zaragoza and James Igbekeme] (in Spanish). Real Zaragoza. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- James Igbekeme at BDFutbol
- James Igbekeme at ForaDeJogo (archived)