Gideon Waja
Gideon Waja (born December 15, 1996) is a Ghanaian footballer who most recently played as a midfielder for Toronto FC II in USL League One.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Gideon Waja | ||
Date of birth | December 15, 1996 | ||
Place of birth | Accra, Ghana | ||
Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||
Playing position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Youth career | |||
–2016 | WAFA | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2016–2018 | WAFA | 59 | (5) |
2018–2019 | Toronto FC II | 18 | (0) |
National team‡ | |||
2011 | Ghana U17 | 3 | (0) |
2015– | Ghana | 1 | (0) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 08:51, 16 October 2018 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of February 24, 2018 |
He also featured for Ghana Premier League club WAFA before a move to Canada in 2018. After being capped three times for Ghana Under-17s, he made his senior international debut in May 2017.
Professional career
WAFA
Waja began his career in the Feyenoord Fetteh Football Academy, which was re-branded as the West African Football Academy in 2014.[1][2]
He captained the team to second place in the 2017 Ghana Premier League season. Falling six points short of champions Aduana Stars, it proved to be their best ever finish having been promoted back to the league in 2015.[3]
In November 2017, WAFA Operations Manager George Ofoshuene admitted it was unlikely Waja would remain with the club next season. New York City FC and Toronto FC were both linked as potentially interested clubs.[4]
On February 16, 2018, WAFA revealed that a deal had been agreed between Waja and Toronto FC.[5]
Toronto FC II
On February 20, United Soccer League club Toronto FC II confirmed the signing of Waja on an international spot.[6]
International career
Waja has been capped three times for Ghana Under-17s.
On May 25, 2017, Waja made his international debut at senior level in a 1–1 draw against Benin.[7] In September 2017, he was called up for two FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Congo but was an unused substitute in both matches.[8]
Career statistics
- As of May 16, 2018
Club | League | Season | League | Playoffs | Cup | Total | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
WAFA | Ghanaian Premier League | 2016 | 26 | 1 | – | – | 26 | 1 | ||
2017 | 33 | 4 | – | – | 33 | 4 | ||||
Total | 59 | 5 | – | – | 59 | 5 | ||||
Toronto FC II | United Soccer League | 2018 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Career total | 64 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 64 | 5 |
International goals
- Scores and results list Ghana's goal tally first.[9]
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 12 August 2017 | Stade du 4 Août, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2018 African Nations Championship qualification |
References
- "Midfield ace Gideon Waja has rejoined the #wafasc First Team after being released by the Local Black Stars. – West African Football Academy". westafricanfootballacademy.com. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- "EXCLUSIVE: Fetteh Feyenoord changes name to WAFA Sporting Club". social_image. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- FIFA.com. "Live Scores - ABC Golden Lager Premier League - Standings - FIFA.com". FIFA.com. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- "Gideon Waja Will Not Be With Us In The 2017/18 GPL Season – WAFA Operations Manager". Modern Ghana. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- "Gideon Waja leaves WAFA for Toronto FC - Footy-GHANA.com". footy-ghana.com. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- "Toronto FC II sign midfielder Gideon Waja". torontofc.ca. February 20, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- "Internationals (Sky Sports)". SkySports. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- "Gideon Waja". torontofc.ca. February 20, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- "Gideon Waja". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved August 14, 2019.