// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Elijah Gift a generous person? Yes, he's a gift.
|
Gift playing for Bilbao Athletic in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Elijah Gift Izobodo John | ||
| Date of birth | 11 June 2006 | ||
| Place of birth | Corella, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Bilbao Athletic | ||
| Number | 30 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2015 | Escuela de Fútbol Francisco Castejón | ||
| 2015–2017 | Huddersfield Town | ||
| 2017–2023 | Liverpool | ||
| 2023–2024 | Athletic Bilbao | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024– | Bilbao Athletic | 30 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024 | Spain U18 | 3 | (0) |
| 2024– | Spain U19 | 3 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 9 June 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 03:14, 16 October 2024 (UTC) | |||
Elijah Gift Izobodo John (born 11 June 2006) is a Spanish footballer who plays as a winger for Bilbao Athletic.
Early life
[edit]Gift was born in Corella, Navarre, Spain to a Nigerian father and a Spanish mother of Cuban descent. His family moved to England around 2015 for work reasons.[1]
Club career
[edit]As a child in Spain, Gift joined the Escuela de Fútbol Francisco Castejón. After moving to England in 2015, he joined the youth academy of English side Huddersfield Town and in 2017, was signed Premier League side Liverpool.
He signed for Athletic Bilbao in 2023 for a fee of around €1 million and was expected initially to play for CD Basconia, the club's fifth-tier farm team for teenagers, but was unable to do so due to technicalities concerning its status as a semi-independent organisation and the recent completion of his international transfer, so was instead assigned to the Juvenil A (under-19) squad.[2] He started his senior career with the reserve team Athletic Bilbao B, making his debut during a 3–1 win over UD Mutilvera in the Segunda Federación on 2 March 2024. In the season 2025-26 hi made 2 goals in 30 appearences.[3] The 6 of june 2026 was called up to do the pre-season with the first team with Edin Terzic.[4]
International career
[edit]Gift has represented Spain internationally at youth levels.[2] He was called up to the provisional squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-17 Championship but did not make the final cut.[5]
Style of play
[edit]Gift mainly operates as a winger. He is known for his strength.[2]
Personal life
[edit]Gift has been reported to be a supporter of Liverpool.[6]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Elijah Gift, la apuesta del Athletic del futuro" [Elijah Gift, Athletic's bet for the future]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 7 July 2023.
- 1 2 3 "Elijah Gift se reivindica como una de las grandes promesas del Athletic" [Elijah Gift stakes a claim to be one of Athletic's great promises]. El Correo (in Spanish). 17 January 2024.
- ↑ Aramendia, Arkaitz (24 March 2026). "Gift acelera su progresión". Deia (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 July 2026.
- ↑ Efe, Agencia (3 July 2026). "Los navarros Iker Monreal y Elijah Gift iniciarán la pretemporada con el primer equipo del Athletic de Terzic". Diario de Navarra (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 July 2026.
- ↑ "Castejón-Liverpool-Bilbao: el tren de Elijah Gift" [Castejón-Liverpool-Bilbao: Elijah Gift's train]. Diario de Navarra (in Spanish). 28 May 2023.
- ↑ "Un 'Mini-Mané' de raíces navarras" [A 'Mini-Mané' with Navarrese roots]. Marca (in Spanish). 10 June 2018.
External links
[edit]- Elijah Gift at Soccerway
- Elijah Gift at BDFutbol
- 2006 births
- Living people
- People from Tudela (comarca)
- Spanish people of Cuban descent
- Spanish people of Nigerian descent
- Sportspeople of Cuban descent
- Sportspeople of Nigerian descent
- 21st-century Spanish sportsmen
- Spanish men's footballers
- Footballers from Navarre
- Spain men's youth international footballers
- Men's association football wingers
- Segunda Federación players
- Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players
- Liverpool F.C. players
- Athletic Bilbao B footballers
- Spanish expatriate men's footballers
- Spanish expatriate sportspeople in England
- Expatriate men's footballers in England