Caniggia Elva facts for kids
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
|
Cavalry FC | ||
| 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) |
| 2023–2024 | Rot-Weiß Erfurt | 34 | (6) |
| 2025– | Cavalry FC | 9 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017 | Canada U23 | 2 | (1) |
| 2023– | Saint Lucia | 14 | (7) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of July 13, 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of June 10, 2025 |
|||
Caniggia Ginola Elva (born on July 14, 1996) is a professional football player from Saint Lucia. He plays as a midfielder for Cavalry FC, a club in the Canadian Premier League. He also plays for the Saint Lucia national football team.
Contents
Early Life and Moving to Canada
Caniggia Elva was born in Vieux Fort, a town on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. When he was 11 years old, he moved to Canada.
He started playing youth soccer with a team called Calgary South West United. When he was 17, he got a chance to try out for the famous English club Arsenal.
After Arsenal decided not to sign him, he went to Germany. In November 2013, he tried out for VfB Stuttgart, a big German team. He joined them for a month and then officially signed with them on his 18th birthday.
Club Football Career
Playing in Germany
In July 2014, on his 18th birthday, Caniggia signed a four-year contract with VfB Stuttgart. He had also tried out for other famous clubs like FC Barcelona from Spain and SL Benfica from Portugal.
However, there was a challenge: Caniggia had not yet become a Canadian citizen. This meant he couldn't play for Stuttgart's reserve team or their youth team. Because of this, he didn't get much playing time.
In February 2015, he was loaned to RC Strasbourg, a French team, until the end of that season.
For the 2015–16 season, Elva joined VfB Stuttgart II, which is Stuttgart's second team. He played his first game for them on August 29, 2015. He scored his first goal for VfB Stuttgart II on February 26, 2016. He played 57 games over three seasons with the second team. In July 2018, he left Stuttgart.
On September 4, 2018, Elva signed with Würzburger Kickers, another German club. With this team, he helped them win the 2019 Bavarian Cup. He scored 4 goals and made 2 assists during the 2018–19 season, even though he had some injuries. After that season, he decided not to extend his contract with the club.
After one year with Würzburger Kickers, Elva signed a two-year contract with FC Ingolstadt 04, another team in the same league.
In January 2023, Elva joined Rot-Weiß Erfurt, another German club.
Playing in Canada
In February 2025, Caniggia Elva signed with Cavalry FC, a club in the Canadian Premier League. On April 26, 2025, he scored his first goal for Cavalry FC in a game they lost 3–1 against Atlético Ottawa.
International Football Career
Playing for Youth Teams
Caniggia Elva was born in St. Lucia, so he could play for their national team. However, he said he wanted to play for Canada, where he grew up.
In March 2017, he was added to the Canadian Under-23 squad. They played matches against Qatar and Uzbekistan. Elva played his first game for the U-23 team and scored a goal against Uzbekistan on March 25, 2017, helping Canada win 1–0.
Playing for Senior Teams
Elva was called up to the Canadian senior team for a friendly game against El Salvador on September 29, 2017. In June 2021, he was also included in Canada's list of players for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
In October 2023, Elva was called up to play for the Saint Lucia national team. He scored a goal in his very first game for Saint Lucia, which was a 2–1 win over Guadeloupe on October 12, 2023.
Personal Life
Caniggia's family has a strong connection to football. His father, Titus "Titi" Elva, used to be a national striker for St. Lucia. His uncle, Olivier Elva, was also a national defender for St. Lucia.
Caniggia's first and middle names, Caniggia and Ginola, are special. They are a tribute to two famous former football players: Claudio Caniggia from Argentina and David Ginola from France.
