Elderson Echiéjilé

Elderson Uwa Echiéjilé (born 20 January 1988) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a left back.

He began his career at Bendel Insurance and moved to Europe in 2007, joining Rennes where he was mainly a reserve. He spent four seasons in Portugal's top flight with Braga, before returning to France to join Monaco in 2014.

A full international for Nigeria since 2009, Echiéjilé played at two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, winning the 2013 edition, and also played in two World Cups.

Club career

Rennes
Born in Benin City, Echiéjilé began his senior career at Bendel Insurance FC. In August 2007 he was sold to Stade Rennais F.C. in France, playing his first Ligue 1 game on 23 December in a 0–0 draw at Toulouse FC.

During his spell with the club, however, he appeared mostly for the reserve team.

Braga
On 16 June 2010, Echiéjilé signed for S.C. Braga from Portugal for €2.5 million, on a four-year contract. He scored on his official debut for the club, netting from a corner kick in a 3–0 home win against Celtic for the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Champions League (4–2 aggregate win).

Echiéjilé played his first game in the Primeira Liga on 13 August 2010, featuring the full 90 minutes in a 3–1 home success over Portimonense SC. He was an unused substitute in the 2011 UEFA Europa League Final, lost 0–1 to compatriots FC Porto at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin; additionally, he scored four goals in 26 matches in his second year, helping the Minho side finish in third position.

Monaco
On 17 January 2014, Echiéjilé returned to France and its top flight after penning a four-and-a-half-year deal with AS Monaco FC. He scored his first goal for the team on 31 October, opening a 1–1 home draw with Stade de Reims.

On 31 August 2016, Echiéjilé moved to Belgian club Standard Liège on a season-long loan. Late into the following transfer window, he left for Spain with Sporting de Gijón also in a temporary deal.

Echiejilé continued to serve loans until his departure, representing Sivasspor and Cercle Brugge K.S.V. in the process.

HJK
In March 2019, Echiejilé signed for Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi of the Finnish Veikkausliiga. On 28 June, both parties agreed to terminate the contract by mutual consent.

International career
Echiéjilé was a member of the Nigerian under-20 team at the 2007 FIFA World Cup in Canada, playing five matches and scoring once. Having made his debuts for the senior side in 2009, he was picked for the following year's FIFA World Cup in South Africa, appearing in two group stage matches in an eventual group stage exit.

Echiéjilé was called up to Nigeria's 23-man squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring the first in a 4–1 semi-final win over Mali as the nation went on to win the tournament. Also that year he was selected for the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil, scoring in the group stage opener against Tahiti.

Echiéjilé was included in Stephen Keshi's list for the 2014 World Cup, but sustained an injury in a warm-up game against Greece and was replaced by Ejike Uzoenyi. In June 2018, he was named in the 23-man squad for the upcoming edition of the FIFA World Cup in Russia, but was left out of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

Career statistics

International

International goals
 (Nigeria score listed first, score column indicates score after each Echiéjilé goal)

Honours

Club
Braga
Taça da Liga: 2012–13

International
Nigeria
Africa Cup of Nations: 2013

References

External links

Category:1988 births
Category:Living people
Category:Sportspeople from Benin City
Category:Nigerian footballers
Category:Association football defenders
Category:Nigerian Professional Football League players
Category:Bendel Insurance F.C. players
Category:Ligue 1 players
Category:Stade Rennais F.C. players
Category:AS Monaco FC players
Category:Primeira Liga players
Category:LigaPro players
Category:S.C. Braga players
Category:S.C. Braga B players
Category:Belgian First Division A players
Category:Belgian Second Division/Belgian First Division B players
Category:Standard Liège players
Category:Cercle Brugge K.S.V. players
Category:La Liga players
Category:Sporting de Gijón players
Category:Süper Lig players
Category:Sivasspor footballers
Category:Veikkausliiga players
Category:Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi players
Category:Nigeria under-20 international footballers
Category:Nigeria international footballers
Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players
Category:2010 Africa Cup of Nations players
Category:2013 Africa Cup of Nations players
Category:2013 FIFA Confederations Cup players
Category:2018 FIFA World Cup players
Category:Africa Cup of Nations-winning players
Category:Nigerian expatriate footballers
Category:Expatriate footballers in France
Category:Expatriate footballers in Portugal
Category:Expatriate footballers in Monaco
Category:Expatriate footballers in Belgium
Category:Expatriate footballers in Spain
Category:Expatriate footballers in Turkey
Category:Expatriate footballers in Finland
Category:Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in France
Category:Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal
Category:Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Monaco
Category:Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium
Category:Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Category:Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey
Category:Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Finland