Kalifa Kujabi


Kalifa Kujabi is a Gambian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga I club Hermannstadt.

Club career

Born in Abuko, the Gambia, Kujabi left his native country as a child, eventually arriving in Italy in 2017, when he subsequently joined a Palermo-based amateur team, Calcio Sicilia; he was then noted by a scout representing Eccellenza Sardinia club Muravera, who eventually signed him.
After winning promotion to Serie D with Muravera and playing two seasons in the Italian amateur top flight, in 2021 Kujabi joined fellow fourth-tier club [S.E.F. S.E.F. Torres 1903|Torres 1903|Torres], where he served as a regular starter throughout the 2021–22 campaign. Following his performances, he reportedly gained the attention of several professional clubs, including Empoli, Cagliari and Torino.
In June 2022, Kujabi joined Serie B club Frosinone on a permanent deal; however, his signing was formally confirmed on 30 March 2023, due to transfer constraints regarding the Italian federation's rules on non-EU players, as well as various bureaucratic issues, including an employee mistakenly spelling his first name while registering his request for Italian citizenship.
On 20 August 2023, Kujabi officially returned to Torres, joining the Serie C club on loan for the rest of the season. He was released by Frosinone at the end of the 2023–24 season, after the club had turned down the option to extend his contract.
On 26 June 2024, it was announced that Kujabi would join Romanian side CFR Cluj on a free transfer on 1 July. However, he could not be registered by the club, due to the league's rules on non-EU players; as a result, on 5 August, he joined fellow Romanian club Hermannstadt on a three-year contract.

Personal life

In 2021, Kujabi married an Italian woman from Villaputzu, Sardinia, with whom he has a daughter. In March 2023, he officially became an Italian citizen through marriage.

Honours

Muravera
Torres
Frosinone
Hermannstadt