Sunny Ekeh Kingsley

Sunny Kingsley
Kingsley as an AEK player (2010)
Personal information
Full name Sunny Ekeh Kingsley
Date of birth (1981-09-09) 9 September 1981 (age 43)
Place of birth Owerri, Nigeria
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
First Bank
Soccer Warriors
1998–2000 União Leiria
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2001 União Tomar
2001–2003 Caldas 68 (15)
2003–2005 Beira-Mar 61 (7)
2005–2006 Zamalek 5 (0)
2007–2008 AEK Larnaca 41 (15)
2008–2010 Metalurh Donetsk 44 (4)
2010–2012 AEK Larnaca 39 (3)
2014–2015 Nikos & Sokratis Erimis 19 (4)
Total 277 (48)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Sunny Ekeh Kingsley (born 9 September 1981) is a Nigerian retired professional footballer who played as a forward.

Club career

Kingsley in action for Metalurh Donetsk, against St. Pölten.

Born in Owerri, Kingsley moved to Portugal in 1998 still as a junior, finishing his grooming at U.D. Leiria. He made his senior debuts with amateurs U.F.C.I. Tomar, switching after one year to Caldas Sport Clube in the third division.

After stellar performances, Kingsley moved straight to the Primeira Liga in the 2003 summer, signing with S.C. Beira-Mar. He made his debut in the competition on 17 August in a 0–1 away loss against C.S. Marítimo (21 minutes played), and finished his first season with 33 games – 29 starts – and four goals, helping the Aveiro club to the 11th position.

Kingsley joined AEK Larnaca F.C. in the Cypriot First Division in January 2007, following an unassuming spell in Egypt with Zamalek SC. He scored four times in only ten appearances in his debut campaign, and also helped his team reach the semi-finals of the Cypriot Cup. In July 2008 he moved sides and countries again, signing for Ukrainian Premier League's FC Metalurh Donetsk for €620,000.

In July 2010, Kingsley returned to his previous club. He played the last match of his career on 29 January 2012, netting once in the 6–0 win over Nea Salamis Famagusta FC for the league championship; he retired subsequently at the age of only 30, and accepted an offer to become his last team's chief scout.

Kingsley came out of retirement in the 2014 summer after two years of inactivity, signing with Nikos & Sokratis Erimis also in Cyprus.