Augustus Kargbo

Augustus Kargbo
Kargbo in 2022
Personal information
Date of birth (1999-08-24) 24 August 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth Freetown, Sierra Leone
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Cesena
Number 10
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2018 Campobasso 20 (6)
2018–2023 Crotone 67 (6)
2018–2019 → Roccella (loan) 13 (4)
2019–2020 → Reggiana (loan) 21 (8)
2020–2021 → Reggiana (loan) 20 (2)
2023– Cesena 31 (9)
International career‡
2021– Sierra Leone 19 (5)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 May 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 September 2024

Augustus Kargbo (born 24 August 1999) is a Sierra Leonean professional footballer who plays for Italian side Cesena.

Early career

As a boy Augustus Kargbo was scouted by his agent Numukeh Tunkara in Freetown, Sierra Leone aged 13 years.[1] Believing in his quality he then persuaded the family to allow him to take the boy to Guinea where he could have a better training and development opportunity.

Club career

He started his professional career in Italian fourth-tier Serie D club Campobasso.[2]

In the summer of 2018, he joined Serie B club Crotone and was loaned back to Serie D, to Rocella. He returned from loan in January 2019.[3]

He made his Serie B debut for Crotone on 19 January 2019 in a game against Cittadella, as a 68th-minute substitute for Marco Firenze.[4]

On 2 September 2019, he joined Reggiana on loan.[5] On 22 July he scored an important goal for the promotion of the club in Serie B in the final against Bari.[6]

He made his Serie A debut for Crotone on 20 September 2020 in a 1–4 away loss against Genoa.[7] On 29 September 2020 he returned to Reggiana on a new loan.[8]

On 26 August 2023, Kargbo signed a three-year contract with Cesena.[9]

International career

On 29 September 2020, he was called up by Sierra Leone for the first team.[10]

He made his debut for the Sierra Leone national football team on 6 October 2021 in a friendly against South Sudan.[11] In December 2021, he was named in the Sierra Leone squad for the upcoming 2021 Africa Cup of Nations as the nation prepared for their first appearance at the competition since 1996.[12]

International goals

No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 13 June 2022 General Lansana Conté Stadium, Conakry, Guinea  Guinea-Bissau 1–2 2–2 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2. 18 June 2023 Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, Paynesville, Liberia  Nigeria 2–2 2–3
3. 5 June 2024 Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium, El Jadida, Morocco  Djibouti 2–1 2–1 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
4. 10 June 2024 Stade du 26 Mars, Bamako, Mali  Burkina Faso 1–2 2–2
5. 10 September 2024 Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, Ndola, Zambia  Zambia 1–1 2–3 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

References

  1. ^ Sierra Leone's Augustus Kargbo left mum at 13 and now plays in Italy bbc.com
  2. ^ "Profile by TuttoCalciatori" (in Italian). TuttoCalciatori. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  3. ^ "Crotone, Kargbo rientrato alla base dopo il prestito al Roccella" (in Italian). Crotone Sport. 11 January 2019.
  4. ^ "Crotone v Cittadella game report by Soccerway". Soccerway. 19 January 2019.
  5. ^ "KARGBO IN PRESTITO ALLA REGGIO AUDACE" (Press release) (in Italian). Crotone. 2 September 2019.
  6. ^ "Finale playoff Serie C: Reggiana-Bari 1-0. Emiliani in Serie B" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 22 July 2020. Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  7. ^ "Genoa v Crotone game report". Soccerway. 20 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Kargbo alla Reggiana" (in Italian). Crotone. 29 September 2020.
  9. ^ "AUGUSTUS KARGBO È BIANCONERO" [AUGUSTUS KARGBO IS BLACK AND WHITE] (in Italian). Cesena. 26 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  10. ^ Russo, Andrea (29 September 2020). "Kargbo, felicità doppia: Nazionale e Reggiana" (in Italian). Il Resto del Carlino. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  11. ^ "Sierra Leone v South Sudan game report". ESPN. 6 October 2021.
  12. ^ "Afcon 2021: Ex-England defender Steven Caulker named in Sierra Leone squad". BBC Sport. 31 December 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
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