Caniggia Ginola Elva (born 14 July 1996) is a Saint Lucian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Regionalliga club Rot-Weiß Erfurt and the Saint Lucia national team.
 Elva in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Caniggia Ginola Elva | ||
| Date of birth | 14 July 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Rot-Weiß Erfurt | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2014 | Calgary South West United | ||
| 2014 | VfB Stuttgart | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2018 | VfB Stuttgart II | 57 | (7) |
| 2015 | → Strasbourg (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Würzburger Kickers | 17 | (4) |
| 2019–2022 | FC Ingolstadt 04 | 67 | (8) |
| 2023– | Rot-Weiß Erfurt | 34 | (6) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017 | Canada U23 | 2 | (1) |
| 2023– | Saint Lucia | 10 | (5) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of June 23, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of October 14, 2024 | |||
Early life
editElva was born in the Caribbean island of St. Lucia in Vieux Fort, before moving to Canada at the age of 11.[1] He began playing youth soccer with Calgary South West United.[1] When he was 17, he received a tryout with English club Arsenal.[1] After Arsenal decided not to sign him, he went on trial with German Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart in November 2013, joining them for a month, before returning and signing with them officially on his 18th birthday.[1]
Club career
editVfB Stuttgart
editOn 14 July 2014, his 18th birthday, he signed a four-year contract with them after tryouts with other teams, among them English Premier League football club Arsenal, Spanish club FC Barcelona and Portuguese club SL Benfica.[2][3] However, due to Elva not able gaining Canadian citizenship, he wasn't granted permission to play neither for Stuttgart's reserve team in the 3. Liga nor their youth team in Under 19 Bundesliga.[4] As a result of this he did not gain any match practice as he was not ready for the club's first team.[4]
Loan to Strasbourg
editOn 2 February 2015, he was loaned to French third-tier club RC Strasbourg until the end of the season.[5]
VfB Stuttgart II
editFor the 2015–16 season Elva joined the squad of VfB Stuttgart II.[6] He made his debut for VfB II on 29 August 2015 against Rot-Weiß Erfurt.[7] Elva scored his first goal for VfB Stuttgart II on 26 February 2016 against Hallescher FC.[8] After making 57 appearances over three seasons with the second team,[9] he was released by Stuttgart in July 2018.
Würzburger Kickers
editElva signed with 3. Liga club Würzburger Kickers on 4 September 2018.[10] With the Kickers, he won the 2019 Bavarian Cup.[11] Elva would score 4 goals and add 2 assists during an injury plagued 2018–19 season. After the season, he rejected an offer to extend his contract with the club.[12]
FC Ingolstadt 04
editAfter one year with Würzburger Kickers, Elva would sign a two-year contract with fellow 3. Liga side FC Ingolstadt 04.[13]
Rot-Weiß Erfurt
editIn January 2023, Elva would sign with Regionalliga club Rot-Weiß Erfurt.[14]
International career
editYouth
editElva is eligible for St. Lucia, where he was born. He has however indicated that he would like to represent Canada at international level instead, where he was raised.[15] In March 2017 it was announced that Elva was added to the Canadian Under-23 squad for matches against Qatar and Uzbekistan in Qatar later that month.[16] Elva made his U-23 debut and scored against Uzbekistan in a 1–0 victory on 25 March 2017.[17]
Senior
editElva was called up to the Canadian senior team for a friendly against El Salvador on 29 September 2017.[18] In June 2021 Elva was included in Canada's 60-man preliminary roster for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[19]
In October 2023, Elva was called up to the Saint Lucia national team for a set of 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League matches.[20] He scored on his debut, a 2–1 win over Guadeloupe on 12 October 2023.[21]
Personal life
editHis father, Titus "Titi" Elva, is a former national striker for St. Lucia and his uncle, Olivier Elva, is also a former national defender for St. Lucia.[22][23] His first and middle names Caniggia and Ginola are homages to former Argentine international player Claudio Caniggia and former French player David Ginola.[1]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of June 23, 2024[24]
| Club | League | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| VfB Stuttgart II | 3. Liga | 2015–16 | 21 | 1 | – | – | – | 21 | 1 | |||
| Regionalliga | 2016–17 | 18 | 3 | – | – | – | 18 | 3 | ||||
| 2017–18 | 18 | 3 | – | – | – | 18 | 3 | |||||
| Total | 57 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 7 | ||
| Würzburger Kickers | 3. Liga | 2018–19 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 17 | 4 | ||
| FC Ingolstadt 04 | 3. Liga | 2019–20 | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | – | 2[a] | 0 | 36 | 3 | |
| 2020–21 | 34 | 5 | 1 | 0 | – | 2[a] | 0 | 37 | 5 | |||
| 2. Bundesliga | 2021–22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 67 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 73 | 8 | ||
| Rot-Weiß Erfurt | Regionalliga | 2022–23 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | 24 | 6 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 24 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 34 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 6 | ||
| Career total | 175 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 181 | 25 | ||
International
edit| Saint Lucia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2023 | 4 | 1 |
| 2024 | 6 | 4 |
| Total | 10 | 5 |
International goals
editScores and results list the Saint Lucia's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 October 2023 | Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia |  Guadeloupe |
1–1 | 2–1 | 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League B |
| 2 | 6 June 2024 | Wildey Turf, Wildey, Barbados |  Haiti |
1–0 | 1–2 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 6 September 2024 | Kirani James Athletic Stadium, St. George's, Grenada |  Curaçao |
2–0 | 2-1 | 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League B |
| 4 | 11 October 2024 | Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia |  Saint Martin |
1–1 | 2–1 | 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League B |
| 5 | 2–1 | |||||
| Last updated 11 October 2024 | ||||||
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Davidson, Neil (4 October 2017). "Calgary-raised forward Caniggia Ginola Elva has the name and the game". National Post.
- ^ "Arsenal F.C. gives Calgary's Caniggia Elva, 17, a chance". CBC. 27 February 2014.
- ^ "Barcelona and Benfica Following Arsenal Trialist Caniggia Elva Amid Stuttgart's Contract Offer". Inside Futbol. 26 February 2014.
- ^ a b "Caniggia Elva darf nur trainieren" [Caniggia Elva is only allowed to train] (in German). FuPa. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ "Transferliste des "Die Liga – Fußballverband e.V." (Ligaverband)" [Transfer list of the "Die Liga - Fußballverband e.V." (League Association)] (PDF) (in German). 2 February 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 February 2015.
- ^ "Großer Umbruch beim VfB II" [Great upheaval at VfB II] (in German). VfB Stuttgart. 27 May 2015. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ^ "Official match report: FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt – VfB Stuttgart II". German Football Association. 29 August 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ^ "Official match report: VfB Stuttgart II – Hallescher FC". German Football Association. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
- ^ Strasser, Scott (30 January 2019). "Local Prospects: Calgary players worth a look from Cavalry FC". Away From the Numbers.
- ^ "Die Kickers nehmen Caniggia Elva unter Vertrag!" [The Kickers Sign Caniggia Elva!]. Würzburger Kickers (in German). 4 September 2018.
- ^ "3:0 in Aschaffenburg: Kickers Feiern Toto-Pokal-Sieg Und DFB-Pokal-Einzug" [3-0 in Aschaffenburg:Kickers Celebrate Toto Cup Victory and DFB-Pokal Entry]. Würzburger Kickers (in German). 25 May 2019.
- ^ "Caniggia Elva Schliesst Sich Den Schanzern An" [Caniggia Elva Joins the Schanzer]. Würzburger Kickers (in German). 7 June 2019.
- ^ "Tempo Und Durchschlagskraft: Caniggia Elva Wechselt Zum FCI" [Speed and Tempo:Caniggia Elva Changes to FCI]. FC Ingolstadt 04 (in German). 7 June 2019.
- ^ "Winterneuzugang Fuer den FC RWE". FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt. 27 January 2023.
- ^ "Sport Avis Exclusive: Caniggia Elva". Sporte Avis. YouTube. 15 January 2015.
- ^ "Canada U23s Announce Squad for Qatar". United Soccer League. 18 March 2017.
- ^ "Victoire du Canada 1–0 face à l'Ouzbékistan dans une série U-23" [Canada earns gritty 1–0 win over Uzbekistan in U-23 series] (in French). Canadian Soccer Association. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019.
- ^ Sandor, Steven (29 September 2017). "Zambrano picks a Canadian side filled with national-team newbies for friendly against El Salvador". The 11.
- ^ "CONCACAF Gold Cup provisional rosters confirmed". Canadian Soccer Association. 18 June 2021.
- ^ Lukacsek, Axel (9 October 2023). "Rot-Weiß-Stürmer Elva im Nationaltrikot auf den Spuren von Vater und Bruder". thueringer-allgemeine.de.
- ^ "Saint Lucia edge Guadeloupe in battle of Group A unbeatens". Concacaf. 30 September 2023.
- ^ "A St.Lucian born footballer is pursuing his dreams to play professionally in Germany". Archived from the original on 5 March 2014.
- ^ "Prime minister proud of Caniggia Elva". St. Lucia News Online. 1 March 2014. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
- ^ "Caniggia Elva Stats". Soccerway.