Hugo Ekitike (or Ekitiké; born 20 June 2002) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt.
.jpg) Ekitike playing for Paris Saint-Germain in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Hugo Ekitike | ||
| Date of birth | 20 June 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Reims, France | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Eintracht Frankfurt | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2013 | Cormontreuil FC | ||
| 2013–2019 | Reims | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2021 | Reims B | 15 | (6) |
| 2020–2023 | Reims | 26 | (10) |
| 2021 | → Vejle Boldklub (loan) | 11 | (3) |
| 2022–2023 | → Paris Saint-Germain (loan) | 25 | (3) |
| 2023–2024 | Paris Saint-Germain | 1 | (0) |
| 2024 | → Eintracht Frankfurt (loan) | 14 | (4) |
| 2024– | Eintracht Frankfurt | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021–2022 | France U20 | 6 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:00, 21 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14:08, 25 June 2023 (UTC) | |||
Early life
Hugo Ekitike[2] was born on 20 June 2002 in Reims, Marne,[3] to a French father and a Cameroonian mother.[4]
Club career
Reims
On 12 July 2020, Ekitike signed his first professional contract with Reims.[5] He debuted with the senior team in a 3–1 Ligue 1 loss to Lorient on 17 October 2020.[6] On 29 January 2021, Ekitike joined Danish Superliga club Vejle Boldklub on loan for the rest of the season.[7]
On 26 September 2021, Ekitike scored Reims' second and third goals in a 3–1 win against Nantes, having come on as a substitute.[8] In the January 2022 transfer window, Ekitike rejected a potential transfer to Newcastle United. Reims president Jean-Pierre Caillot admitted that the club had received "very good offers" for Ekitike, but reiterated that "there is still a piece of history to write together".[9]
Paris Saint-Germain
On 16 July 2022, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) announced the signing of Ekitike on a season-long loan with an option-to-buy for a reported fee of €35 million, bonuses included.[10] According to several sources, the purchase option in the deal was made mandatory.[11]
Ekitike made his PSG debut as a substitute in a 5–0 league win away to Clermont on 6 August 2022.[12] On 1 October, he made his first start for the club in a 2–1 league victory over Nice at the Parc des Princes.[13] Ten days later, Ekitike made his UEFA Champions League debut, coming on as a late-match substitute in a 1–1 home draw against Benfica.[14] On 13 November, he scored his first goal for Paris Saint-Germain in a 5–0 home win over Auxerre.[15] He finished the season with four goals and four assists in thirty-two matches, winning his first Ligue 1 title.[16] In June 2023, his transfer to PSG became a permanent deal worth €28.5 million plus €6.5 million in bonuses.[17][18] In September 2023, it was reported that he was excluded from the Champions League squad for the 2023–24 season.[19]
Eintracht Frankfurt
On 1 February 2024, Ekitike signed for Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt on loan until the end of the season with a buy option.[20] He made his debut as a substitute in a 2–0 defeat away to FC Köln two days later.[21] On 19 April, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 home victory over FC Augsburg.[22] On 26 April, the buy option in Ekitike's loan deal at Eintracht Frankfurt was activated, and he was transferred for a fee of €16.5 million.[23] He signed a deal until the end of the 2028–29 season.[24] The following day, Ekitike scored a goal in 2–1 defeat away to Bayern Munich, a right-footed strike from outside the box into the bottom-right corner of the net.[25]
International career
Ekitike was eligible to play for France because of his birth and through his father and for Cameroon through his mother. He is a youth international for France, having represented the France U20s.[26]
Career statistics
- As of match played 18 May 2024[27]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Reims B | 2019–20 | Championnat National 2 | 12 | 5 | — | — | — | 12 | 5 | |||
| 2020–21 | Championnat National 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | ||||
| 2021–22 | Championnat National 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 15 | 6 | — | — | — | 15 | 6 | |||||
| Reims | 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 24 | 10 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 26 | 11 | |||
| Total | 26 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 28 | 11 | |||
| Vejle Boldklub (loan) | 2020–21 | Danish Superliga | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 3 | ||
| Paris Saint-Germain (loan) | 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4[b] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 4 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Eintracht Frankfurt (loan) | 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 14 | 4 | — | 2[c] | 0 | — | 16 | 4 | ||
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 92 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 103 | 28 | ||
Honours
Paris Saint-Germain
France U20
References
External links
- Profile at the Paris Saint-Germain F.C. website
- Hugo Ekitike – French league stats at Ligue 1 – also available in French
