James Igbekeme

James Igbekeme
Igbekeme with the Columbus Crew in 2022
Personal information
Full name James Omonigho Igbekeme
Date of birth (1995-07-04) 4 July 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth Lagos, Nigeria
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Midfielder, winger
Team information
Current team
 Wisła Kraków
Number 12
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)
2023–2024 Ponferradina 31 (1)
2024– Wisła Kraków 13 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13:23, 30 December 2024 (UTC)

James Omonigho Igbekeme (born 4 July 1995) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or winger for Polish I liga club Wisła Kraków.[1]

Career

Portugal

Born in Lagos, Igbekeme left his hometown at the age of 18 to join Portuguese third division side G.D. Ribeirão in the 2013–14 season.[2] In 2015, he moved to fellow league team U.D. Oliveirense.[2]

In June 2017, Igbekeme signed for LigaPro side Gil Vicente F.C.[3] He made his professional debut on 6 August, starting and scoring the winner in a 2–1 away defeat of FC Porto B.[4]

On 28 October 2017, Igbekeme scored a brace in a 4–0 home routing of S.L. Benfica B.[5] He finished the campaign with five goals in 32 appearances, but his side eventually suffered relegation.

Real Zaragoza

In June 2018, Igbekeme was transferred to Segunda División side Real Zaragoza for a reported €150,000, signing a four-year deal with the club.[6][7] He made his debut in August on the first matchday of the season, a 2–1 home victory over Rayo Majadahonda.[8] Igbekeme scored his first goal for Los Blanquillos on 8 September against Real Oviedo.[9] On 18 June 2020, it was announced that Igbekeme had signed a contract extension, keeping him with Zaragoza until 2023.[10] Initially a regular starter, he gradually started to feature more sparingly due to injuries and loss of form.[2][11]

Loans

In January 2022, Igbekeme signed a contract extension and was subsequently loaned to Major League Soccer side Columbus Crew until December, with Columbus holding an option to exercise a permanent transfer.[12][13] After completing one season stateside, his purchase option was declined and he returned to Spain. However, new Zaragoza manager Fran Escribá did not see a place for Igbekeme in the squad,[14] and sent Igbekeme on loan to Polish side Wisła Kraków in late February 2023.[15] Igbekeme would make 14 appearances and score one goal for the club.[16]

Ponferradina

On 10 August 2023, he terminated his contract with Zaragoza and signed a contract with SD Ponferradina.[17][18] On 12 November, Igbekeme scored a free-kick goal in his team's 1-0 win against Rayo Majadahonda.[19]

Return to Wisła

On 19 August 2024, Igbekeme re-joined Wisła Kraków, this time permanently, on a deal until the end of the season.[20]

Style of play

Noted as a versatile player able to play multiple midfield positions as well as out wide on the wing, Igbekeme has described himself as a player who "works hard, enjoys putting in effort, and always likes to help the team."[21][2]

References

  1. ^ "James Igbekeme: 100 partidos con el Real Zaragoza". www.realzaragoza.com (in Spanish). 3 December 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Myers, Jacob (11 May 2022). "James Igbekeme bet on himself at every step of pro career. Now he wants to stay in Columbus". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ "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. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ Valero, S. (17 January 2022). "James Igbekeme rechaza ir al Moreirense y se va a la MLS de Estados Unidos". El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Estreno oficial bajo el embrujo de La Romareda". www.realzaragoza.com (in Spanish). 20 August 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  9. ^ "James Igbekeme se estrena como goleador esta temporada". www.realzaragoza.com (in Spanish). 19 February 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  10. ^ "James Igbekeme renueva su contrato hasta 2023". www.realzaragoza.com (in Spanish). 18 June 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  11. ^ GAY-POBES TENA, MIGUEL (26 January 2022). "La salida de Igbekeme al Columbus Crew ya es oficial". Aragón Digital (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Columbus Crew acquires midfielder James Igbekeme on loan from Real Zaragoza". ColumbusCrew.com. 28 January 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  13. ^ Ferrer, Pedro Luis (17 January 2023). "La pesada herencia de Torrecilla". Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  14. ^ Miga, Mateusz (19 April 2023). "James Igbekeme: chętnie zostanę w Wiśle na dłużej". sport.tvp.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  15. ^ "James Igbekeme wypożyczony do Wisły Kraków" (in Polish). Wisła Kraków. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  16. ^ "James Igbekeme, cedido al Wisla de Cracovia". www.realzaragoza.com (in Spanish). 22 February 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  17. ^ "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.
  18. ^ "James Igbekeme se incorpora a la SD Ponferradina". www.sdponferradina.com (in Spanish). 10 August 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  19. ^ "SD Ponferradina 1 - CF Rayo Majadahonda 0". www.sdponferradina.com (in Spanish). 13 November 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  20. ^ "James Igbekeme zawodnikiem Wisły Kraków" (in Polish). Wisła Kraków. 19 August 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  21. ^ ""Es un privilegio y un reto estar en Zaragoza"". www.realzaragoza.com (in Spanish). 10 July 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2024.